


Snow, Flowers, Flame

by AkinoAme



Series: Kings and Vagabonds [3]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Kamen Rider OOO
Genre: Asexuality Spectrum, Canon - Manga, Friendship/Love, One-Sided Relationship, Other, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-03-30 20:21:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 48,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3950410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkinoAme/pseuds/AkinoAme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A premonition of danger, a phone call, and dark shadows bring Eiji together with his older sister, Rei, who is none too pleased to learn of the secrets he's kept from her; reunite Drs. Date and Ami, old friends who haven't spoken since Date's injury; and put Hina and Shingo in the uncomfortable situation of wanting to help but being unable to. As the darkness closes around them, it may just come down to Hina to find her true strength to hold them all together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bone, Shadow, Blades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attack on one of Eiji's neighbors drags him and Hina into a battle with the darkness itself while old secrets come to light between him and his sister, Rei, and between Ami and her old friend Date.

                There was a shadow on his soul.

                That was the first thing Rei could sense about her youngest brother when he showed up suddenly at the shrine. He was thinner than when she'd last seen him, there were dark circles under his eyes, and when he hugged her, it felt like he was using all of his strength not to collapse.

                But it was the way he couldn't manage his usual, carefree smile that she picked up on first. The deadness in his eyes. Pain. Something inside him had been extinguished.

                "I can't stay there," he'd said. "Can I..."

                Rei opened her eyes, and the vision of her half-brother vanished from the flames and her mind.

                "Again," she murmured. It had been five years since he'd unexpectedly appeared on her doorstep, broken from tragedy, and not at all helped by their father's failure to understand anyone's emotions other than his own ambitions.

                He'd changed since then, slowly healing. His smile returned, at first hollow, but finally deep and full like it had once been—not completely like he used to be, but enough that she could believe he'd recovered and grown. He'd spoken of friends, travels, and experiences with so much excitement that that horrible event might as well have been a dream, except that she could always see a trace of that shadow. But the flame within him burned steadily now.

                The last time she saw him, he said he was doing research in archeology, insisting he was working on something important. His flame was strong enough to hold the shadow at bay.

                But then why were images of him in trouble appearing in the sacred fire?

                She stepped out of the worship hall and out onto the shrine's grounds. All around, people were bustling, preparing for New Year's, one of the busiest times of the year. Everything seemed to be fine.

                As if sensing her troubled thoughts, a crow flew over and perched on her shoulder. Rei smiled softly and stroked the bird's head. Her presence helped put things in perspective; as head priestess of Hikawa Shrine, she had a lot of people counting on her. She couldn't afford to be distracted when everyone else was giving their all.

                "I'll call him," she decided. "Thank you, Athena." The bird, as if understanding her, hopped off her shoulder and took flight.

                Excusing herself, Rei went into the house and took her phone. It was probably early in Germany, assuming he was still there, but she called him anyway.

                But her brother wasn't halfway across the world; he was barely halfway across Tokyo, in Yumemi Town, where he and a friend were minding shop at the international restaurant, Cous Coussier.

                Eiji heard his phone ringing while he was trying to manage a pan on the stove, and he grimaced. He and Hina had decided that, with Chiyoko out of the country for the New Year's holidays, they would have dinner together the first night while he worked on his research and she tried to put together a new design for class. But if his phone was ringing, dinner might either be delayed or burnt.

                "Hina, can you take over for a second?" he asked.

                "No problem," she answered with a smile. "And this way, I can make sure you don't make it too spicy."

                He gave her a sheepish smile. With all of his travels, all of the different foods he'd eaten, he could handle a lot more spice than some of his friends preferred. "Sorry, sorry."

                He pulled out his phone and froze when he saw the caller ID—she wasn't supposed to know he was home. But deep down, he'd always known it was just a matter of time before she found out.

                Hina noticed his hesitation and asked, "Eiji?"

                He took a breath and answered the phone, trying to sound casual. "Hello?"

                It was unmistakably Rei's voice on the other end, replying, "Eiji, hi."

                "Sis," he answered. "How are you?"

                "I'm fine," she insisted. "I just had some strange premonitions. That's all."

                This gave him pause. Rei didn't often talk about her sixth sense to him; while he wasn't too bothered by it, it did bother other people, and because of that, she didn't like to talk about it.

                "Is everything okay?" he checked.

                "It's fine," she assured him. "I just thought I should check on you, put my mind at ease."

                A familiar sense of guilt washed over him, even as he smiled and answered, "Okay."

                "Sorry for worrying you," she said. "It must be morning there—did you just wake up?"

                The guilt was rising now, and he answered, "Actually, I'm home now."

                There was a brief pause, just long enough for him to kick himself. But Rei kept her tone light as she said, "That's great. When did you get in?"

                He was drowning now and couldn't stop himself. He couldn't lie to her. "I've been here since the end of September." Silence. "Sorry I didn't call."

                Hina turned off the burner and came over to him immediately, taking his hand. It gave him the out he needed, and he insisted, "I have to go. I'm cooking dinner. I'll call you back?"

                "All right," Rei answered. "I'll talk to you later."

                It wasn't a goodbye. It was a promise, a warning. So he nodded and replied, "Later."

                He hung up and walked over to get their dinner. Hina helped him, giving him enough time to recover before asking, "Your sister?"

                He could read the worry all over her face—his family was a touchy subject, as far as his friends were concerned. So he smiled and explained, "One of them, at least. I have two older sisters, one older brother. Rei's the oldest, my half-sister."

                "Oh," she answered, even though he knew it hadn't explained anything.

                "Rei's mother died when she was little," he said. "Our father remarried a couple of years later, to my mother. Asami was born first, then my brother Kazuo, and then me." With his usual, reassuring, fake smile, he added, "I guess you can say I'm the baby of the family."

                Hina nodded as they set the table. After this shock, she was glad she'd come over. "So Rei..."

                He hesitated for a moment before answering, "She doesn't like Father any more than I think you guys do. When I first came back from Africa, I couldn't stay at home with everyone. It was too much. I had to ask her if I could stay with her for a while, and she took me in until I was well enough to be on my own again."

                Now, everything came together, and she realized, "You didn't want to worry her. That's why you didn't call her."

                There was an uncomfortably familiar distant look on his face as he admitted, "She's seen me at my worst. When I'd really lost everything. I couldn't let her see that again."

                Hina didn't say anything. She reached out and put her hand on his, letting the simple gesture explain everything that words couldn't.

                At Hikawa Shrine, Rei stared at her phone for a moment, unable to shake the terrible sense that something was _wrong_. Something had to have happened for him to come back this early, when he'd been so excited about the research he'd been doing across the world. She could hear it in his voice—though the flame in his soul was still burning, still shining its light, the shadow was still there, darker than it had been in a while.

                "Can I..." he'd started back then. But he was too broken to finish the question, too emptied to ask anything for himself.

                She'd given him a gentle smile and took him in, insisting, "Of course. You're my baby brother. Stay as long as you need."

                He hadn't come to her this time. It hurt more than she thought it could have.

                A vision came upon her suddenly, and she froze in place. Eiji was small again, six years old, and lying underneath a tree, curled up in pain while trying to protect something.

                The darkness came for him, and a clawed, demonic hand tore through the shadow and reached toward him.

                She gasped, her heart pounding and her hands shaking. There was no time to fumble with her phone; she preferred the old-fashioned way, anyway.

                She took out her old communicator and called Ami.

                "It's coming. Soon. Yumemi Town. Meet me there."

 

~~~

 

                They were halfway through dinner when someone knocked on the heavy doors of the gate outside. They almost didn't hear it, but a voice called out, "Hello, Ms. Shiraishi?"

                "That's not a customer, is it?" Hina asked.

                Eiji shook his head. "Chiyoko put a sign up saying we were closed."

                She started to get up to check the door, but he'd already gotten to his feet, insisting, "It's okay. I can get it."

                "You're sure?" she checked.

                He nodded and grabbed a wool poncho to put over himself. It wasn't freezing, but it was cold enough out that he was uncomfortable. "Shouldn't be long anyway."

                He stepped outside to hear whoever it was still pounding on the gate.

                "I'm coming," he insisted.

                When he finally opened the gate, he saw Mr. Shimoda, the former neighborhood chairman, who was looking at him like he couldn't decide what emotion he should be feeling right now.

                Shimoda apparently decided on a polite smile, asking, "Oh, Mr. Hino, was it?"

                Eiji met the feigned smile with one of his own, answering, "Yes."

                "Is Ms. Shiraishi in?"

                "No, she's on vacation for the holiday," he answered, fighting the urge to point out that Mr. Shimoda certainly knew that, with all of the tabs he continued to keep on Cous Coussier. "She's actually in Australia right now."

                "Oh, that's right, that's right," Mr. Shimoda replied. Then, with a glance behind Eiji, he asked, "You don't have any customers today, do you?"

                "No," he said. "I've got a friend over for dinner, while we're studying."

                He wasn't quite sure if Shimoda was giving him a look of approval as he asked, "Oh, are you in school now? I thought you were traveling."

                "Not exactly," he explained. "I'm doing research in Germany. We've got a big project coming up, and I need to learn as much about it as I can."

                That expression didn't falter as Shimoda asked, "So you'll be leaving again?"

                Chiyoko would have taken his head off. Eiji wasn't sure whether he was grateful she wasn't here to do just that, or if he wished she was. Instead, in his most diplomatic tone, he answered, "Not for a few months. I haven't been feeling well, and I want to be here for my friend's graduation anyway."

                This time, Shimoda definitely looked disappointed, but he insisted, "Of course, of course. Graduation is always important."

                The reaction was hardly a surprise. There weren't exactly fond feelings between them. Mr. Shimoda didn't approve of Eiji's traveler lifestyle, or how he used to go for long periods without a stable home, and especially not his friendship with Ankh. The fact that Eiji had defeated the Yummy that had come from his wife, who apparently had taken it out on him, didn't help his opinion any.

                Eiji's patience was finally reaching its limit, and he asked, "Is there something you wanted?"

                "Well, your lights were on, but the streetlight went out," Mr. Shimoda answered.

                Eiji looked over curiously. The streetlamp, in fact, was fine.

                "Are you sure?" he asked.

                "Eiji, is everything okay?" Hina checked, walking outside.

                "It was out a minute ago," Mr. Shimoda answered.

                "Maybe the light's going dead?" Eiji suggested. "Hina, when you came over, did you notice anything strange about the lamps?"

                "No," she replied. "But it was lighter out earlier. Are there problems now?"

                "It doesn't look like it," Eiji insisted. "But I can call tomorrow to get someone to check it out. Okay?"

                "Of course, of course," Mr. Shimoda replied. "I was just a little concerned—I might not be neighborhood chairman anymore, but it doesn't mean I have to stop being concerned about the wellbeing of my neighbors, right?"

                "Right," Eiji answered, trying to cut off the conversation as politely as possible. "Goodnight."

                Mr. Shimoda was still standing there, but Eiji felt comfortable shutting the gate now. Hina gave him a curious look and asked, "What's wrong?"

                "I don't know," he said. "Probably nothing."

                He walked back inside, still a little tense. Hina followed, pointing out, "You're not acting like it's nothing."

                He sighed as he reached for a candroid. "It probably isn't anything. But knowing him, Mr. Shimoda's going to raise a stink about it. I'd rather check it out first so I can let Chiyoko know."

                He activated the candroid, and a tiny hawk flew off to investigate. He then brought out his phone and accessed the uplink program Kougami had installed—a quicker, more convenient alternative to the Kujaku candroid's holographic video—and followed the hawk's footage.

                "It doesn't look like anything's wrong," he admitted, watching it circle the light. "Not even flickering."

                "At least we can let Chiyoko know that, if he tries to bring it up again," she said.

                "Right," he agreed.

                The hawk flew down and started to make its way back, but something passed in front of it, and the next thing they knew, the footage went dead.

                "Huh?" Hina asked. "What happened?"

                "I don't know," Eiji answered. "But I want to check it out."

                He started to go upstairs, and she followed, arguing, "Eiji, don't. Don't try to transform—you're not back at full strength yet!"

                "I know," he answered, strapping on the bracelet Date and Goto had given him to keep a few Medals in, so he wouldn't ever be caught unable to transform. "This is only just in case. I'll only use TaToBa, and if I have to. No combos."

                "I'm coming with you," she insisted. When he started to protest, she argued, "Don't say it might be dangerous. Because if it is, you shouldn't be out there either, and definitely not alone."

                She wasn't going to back down, so finally, he nodded. "Okay. But if anything is wrong, get to safety, okay?"

                "As long as you do too," she promised.

                He nodded again, and they hurried outside to the streetlight. It was dark, but they could make out the candroid on the ground next to it.

                "The light's out?" Hina asked, surprised. "It was fine earlier."

                "That's not the only thing," Eiji said, kneeling down and picking it up. "I've never had the candroids run out of power like this before." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an Unagi candroid. He activated it and let it attach to the hawk, slowly recharging it. "I don't know if we're going to be able to send this out again yet."

                "Again?" Hina asked.

                He nodded. "Both the light and the candroid lost power around the same time, when neither of them had anything wrong before. Something's going on."

                She reached for her phone. "I'll call someone to help."

                Eiji shook his head. "It's New Year's—everyone's busy. Date's still here, but he doesn't have the Birth Driver, Goto's out of town, and Takuya might be here, but he's never seen any of this stuff before."

                "Eiji," she warned.

                "I just want to check and make sure Mr. Shimoda's okay," he promised. "You can come with me if you want."

                She nodded finally, but she kept a firm grip on her phone. It didn't matter what Eiji said; if he was going to risk a fight, she was going to make sure someone was there to get him out of it.

                The lamps were flickering as they made their way through, Eiji still carrying the charging candroid. There was an uncomfortable chill in the air, worse than the actual temperature.

                "Mr. Shimoda?" Eiji called out into the darkness. "It's Eiji from Cous Coussier. Are you okay?"

                There was something moving in the shadows. It seemed to turn at the sound of Eiji's voice, then started to creep away.

                "Mr. Shimoda?" he asked again.

                There was an uncomfortably heavy thud suddenly, and Eiji and Hina stopped in place right away. The flickering lights behind them finally powered up again to reveal Mr. Shimoda lying unconscious on the sidewalk.

                "Hina, call an ambulance," Eiji warned, handing her the candroids before running over to check on Shimoda. His skin was ice cold, but he was breathing, and Eiji could feel a faint pulse from his wrist. He pulled off his poncho and put it over Shimoda. "He's freezing. I'm going to try to warm him up."

                "What could have happened?" Hina whispered as she waited for someone to answer.

                "I don't know," Eiji admitted. "But this can't be a coincidence."

                He stood up, but a sudden chill hit him fast and hard, making him stumble. Hina stepped forward to try to steady him, but he warned, "Stay back!"

                She could hear the operator on the other end asking for information, but her focus was on Eiji, who was half-bent over, his arm hanging out at a strange angle. "What's wrong?"

                His voice sounded shaky as he warned, "The candroids. Throw them at me."

                The warning made no sense, but there was a definite sense of urgency in his tone, and she tossed over the candroids. Eiji managed to catch them, then turned, whipping the eel by its tail and striking against something invisible near his arm. The eel latched on and let out a shock of energy. Whatever had Eiji seemed to turn its focus to the candroid and started to absorb the electricity, taking shape as Eiji ripped himself free and ran a few steps away, strapping on his Driver.

                Now that it was visible, the creature seemed formless, a shifting mass of shadows—except for the skeletal hand that had grabbed onto Eiji. It made a motion, as if looking at the dying candroid latched onto its arm. It formed another such arm and picked off the eel before tossing it aside.

                Eiji didn't waste any time, shouting, "Henshin!" as he scanned the Medals.

                The Medals' energy swirled around him, forming its usual protective barrier to block any attacks. The creature made its way over to him, looked almost curiously at the spinning barrier for a moment, before reaching its claws in and shattering it. The attack caused an explosion of feedback energy, throwing Eiji backwards, where he hit his head against the pavement.

                "Eiji!" Hina cried.

                He moved his hand to the back of his head, very carefully sitting up. He was slow to react as the shadow charged at him. It grabbed at his arm again, and he tried to fight it off, but the more contact it had with him, the weaker he felt. Still, it didn't seem to be satisfied, and it lifted a claw to his head.

                The claw had just touched his forehead when he started screaming in pain. It started to press more intensely against his head when Hina ran over, smacking at it with a young tree she'd uprooted from nearby. Eiji fell as the shadow backed away, screeching at her.

                "I'm sorry, Eiji," she said quickly, holding the tree out in front of her.

                He was still just aware, murmuring, "Hina, get out of here."

                "Not without you!" she insisted.

                The shadow screeched again, making a threatening motion in her direction, but it backed away again when she threatened to hit it again. Taking her threat more seriously, it shifted its claws into blades and swiped at the tree, slicing it through.

                "Run," Eiji whispered as Hina screamed.

                Suddenly, a voice rang out in the dark, crying, "Shine Snow Illusion!" and a blast of ice and wind rained down on the shadow. Hina backed away, dropping the tree as snowflakes swirled around her.

                A second voice shouted, "Evil spirit, begone!" and a burst of flame struck the shadow, blasting it back. Hina took advantage of the distraction to run over to Eiji and take his hand.

                "Are you okay?" she asked.

                "I don't know," he admitted. As it stood, he could barely keep his eyes open. "My head hurts."

                "I got through before about the ambulance," she said. "It's on its way."

                He tried to shake his head, but winced from the pain. "Mr. Shimoda needs it first."

                "Keep talking," she insisted. "You've got to stay awake."

                "I'm trying," he promised. "Who saved us?"

                "I don't know," she answered, looking over. More ice and flame was firing down on the shadow creature, giving it no chance to recover. "But I don't think you have to worry about helping them."

                Harp music began to play, and the first voice called out, "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" before streams of cold water surrounded the creature and froze it solid.

                Someone landed, holding a fiery bow and arrow. The light cast by it revealed a woman in a white leotard with a red collar and skirt and a purple bow, all similar to a sailor uniform. There was cold flame in her eyes as she stared the shadow down and with a yell of "Mars Flame Sniper!" released the arrow. It flew toward the shadow and struck through the ice, causing it to explode, sending tiny ice crystals through the air.

                Another woman stepped up, her uniform similar, except for the blue collar and skirt and a light blue bow. A visor was over her eyes as she examined the scene of destruction.

                "That's not the end of it," she warned. "The hive mind is still alive."

                The woman in red nodded, reminding her, "We still have civilians hurt."

                Her companion smiled gently. "I'll tend to them for now."

                She looked to Eiji first, but Hina tightened her grip on his hand to the point he started wincing again, asking, "Who are you?"

                The woman only smiled back, reassuringly. "I'm Sailor Mercury. This is Sailor Mars. We're here to help."

                "There's..." Eiji tried to warn. "Mr. Shimoda—he's hurt worse."

                "I understand," Sailor Mercury replied.

                "An ambulance is on the way," Hina said.

                "Very good," Sailor Mercury answered. "Mars? I'm going to check on the other one."

                Sailor Mars looked like she was about to argue, but she finally nodded and walked over, asking, "How is he?"

                "I think he hit his head," Hina answered. "I'm trying to keep him awake."

                "Keep doing that," Sailor Mars agreed.

                Eiji tried to see her, but Mars seemed intent on keeping out of direct sight. Hina asked, "Will he be okay?"

                "The doctors will take care of him," she promised. "For now, just..."

                "Sis?" he asked finally.

                Hina looked at him in shock, then at Sailor Mars. Her face had gone white.

                "It's you," he realized. There was no denying the fact that Mars recognized him, had recognized him from the start, based on how she'd tried to keep him from seeing her clearly. But her voice was all he needed to tell her apart, and he murmured, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was home."

                Hina wanted to ask what was going on, but the ambulance siren was finally sounding through the neighborhood. Mercury and Mars waited just long enough for the paramedics to take over before leaping onto the rooftops and disappearing. It was only then, over the protests of Hina and the medics, that he closed his eyes and let go.

                Another ambulance was dispatched from the scene, and as the paramedics failed to wake Eiji, Hina looked down to her phone again. The hospital's doctors would be able to take care of him, but with something like this, his regular doctor needed to know.

                She had no idea how she managed to stay calm enough to explain things to Date, but by the time the other ambulance arrived and Eiji was loaded inside, she dropped to her knees, crying.

                The next call was to her brother, who heard her crying and asked, "What happened?"

                "I need you to come get me," she said. "Eiji just got hurt and is on his way to the hospital."

                "I'll be right over," he promised. "Wait for me."

                She nodded before hanging up. The lights were still on, still shining through the darkness, the glow surrounding her like a shield to protect her from the shadow creature. There were too many things to wonder about—what was that thing, what had it wanted, what had it done to Eiji and Mr. Shimoda, and who exactly were Sailors Mercury and Mars and was Mars really Eiji's sister?

                But the only question that she could think of right now was whether or not Eiji was okay. The fact that she couldn't answer that made it impossible to think of anything else.

 

~~~

 

                The Sailor Guardians went their separate ways, and as she reached the hospital, Mercury canceled her transformation and dashed in. It was time for Dr. Mizuno Ami to take over.

                The first ambulance arrived, and she got to work immediately on trying to stabilize Mr. Shimoda. It was classic Leech victim symptoms—low energy, lowered body temperature as a side-effect, unconsciousness. When no one was looking, she activated her visor and scanned his brain. No sign of damage—good.

                "Doctor, the other patient's coming in now," a nurse warned her. "But someone's been arguing to see him—says he's his doctor?"

                "I'll be right there," she promised.

                She knew the other patient was Eiji, but as to why his doctor would be raising such a fuss, she wasn't sure. As far as Rei had told her, Eiji had effectively cut off all contact with his parents and other siblings. A Hino family doctor would certainly have this kind of behavior, but someone Eiji would have had the freedom to choose on his own? It didn't fit with what she knew about him.

                "I'm sorry," she said automatically, walking over to talk with the tall man arguing with her staff. "I'm Dr. Mizuno. I heard you had a patient admitted here?"

                He stopped. "Mizuno? Mizuno Ami?"

                And she knew the voice—recognized him before he ever turned around. Just the same as when she'd last seen him, he still didn't look anything like a doctor.

                "Date," she realized in shock.

                Ami looked over to one of the nurses and warned, "Give us a minute," before pulling Date aside. "What are you doing here?"

                "I could ask you the same," he said. "You've got one of my patients. Hino Eiji."

                " _You're_ his doctor?" she repeated.

                "Friend of his, actually," he explained. "Been taking care of his medical needs the past couple of years, at least when we're in the same country."

                Despite the mix of emotions she felt seeing him again, Ami couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad you're still practicing. And traveling too."

                "Yeah, but we can catch up later," he pointed out. "You know something. Hino's a trouble magnet, but even he's hard-pressed to just hit his head and pass out after helping a collapsed neighbor." Keeping his voice low, he asked, "So how did he get mixed up in Sailor Guardian business?"


	2. Patterns of Light and Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Eiji recovers from the attack, Rei comes to grips with what he hasn't told her, Date and Ami try to put the past behind them, and Hina starts to face the things she can never tell him.

                Ami had left. Rei had stayed, remaining just out of sight to purify the area and protect Hina, who was barely holding it together anymore. She'd pulled her knees up and leaned against the lamppost as she wiped her tears. It was clear that despite what she'd done to try to protect Eiji, she was never meant to be a warrior. It was Rei's duty, then, to ensure no further harm came to her that night.

                A car pulled up suddenly, and she was ready to make a move as soon as she saw Hina stand. But when she saw the man who burst out, she cried, "Big Brother!" and grabbed him in a hug.

                "Are you okay?" he asked.

                Her voice was shaky, but she answered, "I'm fine."

                "Eiji?" he added.

                "On his way to the hospital," she explained. "Date's on his way." Her eyes started filling up with tears again, and she shook her head, "The thing that attacked him—it broke right through his transformation."

                "What?" Shingo asked. "You only said he got hurt..." But she was starting to cry again, so he sighed, "All right. I'll ask you later. Let's get home first."

                "What about Eiji?" she asked.

                "Date's with him," he pointed out. "If there's still time tonight, we'll check on him. Right now, I need to be sure you're okay."

                Rei watched as he guided her into the car and got her calmed down again before driving off. But she didn't forget what she'd heard: "transformation." Eiji's transformation.

                This went well beyond him hiding from her for three months. And it was time to find out exactly what was going on.

 

~~~

 

                Date sighed. This was big. "Leeches, huh?"

                Ami nodded. "I managed to check the other patient before you arrived, and there's no sign of the lesions we're afraid of. But..."

                "But with Hino, he hit his head, and you've got two things to check on now," he guessed.

                "Right," she answered.

                "Okay," he agreed. "Lead the way."

                They made their way to Eiji's room. He'd been bandaged and set up with an IV, filled with a solution to help with his drained energy. Ami shut the door behind them and pressed one of her earrings, summoning a blue visor over her glasses. For a few minutes, she was silent, typing information into her pocket computer as she reviewed the readings. Finally, she closed the computer and deactivated her visor.

                "He's got a concussion, but a fairly mild one, all things considering," she said. "I'll confirm it with conventional equipment so we've got the record, but at least there's no lesions."

                "Good," he sighed in relief. "That's something going right tonight."

                She nodded. "But there's a significant drop in his energy levels. I'm amazed he remained conscious as long as he did."

                "Yeah, 'bout that?" Date said, rubbing the back of his neck. "There's a story behind that. Not one I can give you right now, but suffice to say, his energy levels are lower than they should be."

                A new voice at the door suddenly asked, "Does this have to do with him transforming?"

                They turned. Date saw an unfamiliar nurse. Ami saw Rei in disguise and asked, "What are you doing here?"

                Despite looking at Date suspiciously, Rei held up the disguise pen as a signal. Ami sighed, "Date Akira, Hino Rei."

                Date stared at her for a moment before glancing toward Eiji. "Hino? As in..."

                "Eiji's half-sister," Ami clarified. "Like me, she's a Sailor Guardian, Mars."

                He grimaced. Family issues and secret identities. This was going to be fun. Rei was already glaring Ami's direction, but Ami insisted, "Date's an old friend. He's kept my secret all this time. I trust him with my life."

                Slowly, Rei nodded, and Date admitted, "So far, he seems okay—just the bump on his head and the energy drain. Knowing him, though, he'll be anxious to get out of here the minute he wakes up."

                "Wake him up now," Rei said.

                "What?" Date asked.

                "Rei," Ami warned. "He needs to rest. Whatever you have to say to him can wait until morning."

                But Rei was already standing over him, shaking his arm with a gentleness that didn't match the cool tone of her voice as she said, "Eiji, wake up."

                He moaned, then started trying weakly to push back as he started to wake up. Now, Date was making his way next to him, insisting, "Hino, it's okay. You're in the hospital."

                Ami thought it was a little odd he had to say this to him, but it did seem to take a moment before Eiji was awake enough to understand where he was.

                "See?" Date asked with a grin. "Friend of mine, Dr. Ami's taking care of you. We even brought your sis over."

                Eiji looked up at Rei in shock, though she was careful to keep her expression blank. "Sis?"

                "What happened?" she asked flatly. "Why did that Leech attack you?"

                "Leech?" he repeated, not understanding.

                "The creature that attacked you," Ami explained. "Rei, I think it was random, just like all the rest."

                "It's not random," she insisted. "Your friends said you could transform." There was just enough shock in his eyes to prove it was true. "What is going on? What haven't you told me?"

                He lowered his eyes. "Sis, I'm sorry."

                For a moment, Rei saw him as he once was—a young man almost destroyed by war, a small boy injured trying to do the right thing. She forced back the intrusion of memory and focused on the here and now—the person she no longer knew.

                His breathing was shaky still, but he carefully said, "It happened a long time ago, in Germany—where I'm doing my research now. There was a King who created a power source called Core Medals and used them to fight as OOO."

                Rei wasn't inclined to ask for clarification, so Ami looked at Date, who whispered, "A kind of warrior. We call him 'Kamen Rider OOO' now."

                "But he was corrupted by his own greed," Eiji continued. "He wanted to become a god. So he betrayed everyone who tried to help him, and he ended up sealing himself and the Medals away for eight-hundred years."

                "What does this have to do with you?" Rei asked.

                The effort of explaining everything was taking its toll on Eiji, and he was struggling to stay awake as he caught his breath. This time, Date cut in, explaining, "Hino was back in Japan, after the war, when he ended up stumbling into the whole thing. This Greeed—a Core Medal creature—called Anko—"

                "Ankh," Eiji automatically corrected.

                "Right," Date answered. "Anyway, he gave Eiji the Medals and the King's old Driver to transform."

                "And you just took it?" she demanded. "You _trusted_ a monster that easily?"

                "It wasn't..." Eiji tried to argue.

                "Is this why you've been avoiding me?" she asked. "Why you got attacked? Because of that monster?"

                "Ankh died," he said, feeling something tighten in his chest suddenly. "Three—maybe four years ago."

                He was getting upset, and exhausted as he was, he couldn't do anything to stop it. Date saw the way his breath was starting to hitch and how close he was coming to tears and said, "Look. He needs to sleep. How about tomorrow, we'll get together and all touch base with each other? There's a lot both sides need to tell, understand?" Eiji just managed to nod. Rei didn't, but she didn't argue either.

                "I'll keep an eye on him tonight," Ami promised. "Just let us know where you want to meet and when." It was the politest way, in front of Rei at least, for her to say she didn't want anyone else to ambush Eiji with questions while he was recovering.

                "All right," Date agreed. "Just give me a second to talk to him about his records, then I'll leave him to you, okay?"

                Ami nodded, guiding Rei out. As they walked out, she quietly warned, "You didn't have to be so harsh with him."

                "He was working with monsters," Rei argued. "Not our enemy, but certainly someone else's."

                "I don't believe he'd ever do that," Ami insisted. "I know you well enough to know you think the same."

                "I don't know what to think," she said. "I'm not sure I know Eiji anymore."

                She stormed off, leaving Ami behind to sigh as she leaned against the door. Inside, she could hear Date asking, "Sure you don't want me to pick them up?"

                Eiji didn't answer right away, but Ami guessed he was nodding. "I can get through tonight."

                "All right," Date agreed. "But I'll let Dr. Kunieda know."

                "Okay," he mumbled.

                "Just need to know one more thing before I let you sleep, okay? You didn't use any combos, did you?"

                "No," he answered. "Just TaToBa."

                "Good," Date replied. "I need you to promise me, if this thing comes back, you're not going to use a combo. Understand?" Another mumble. "Hino, I mean it. I don't know if this exhaustion is from that monster or you transforming or both. Either way, if you try a combo in this state, you might die. So promise me."

                "I promise," Eiji murmured.

                "Promise what?" Date pressed.

                "No combos."

                "Good," Date answered. "You know, the reason I stayed all this time is because I wanted to be sure you had someone you could trust to take care of your medical needs. Ami's the best doctor I know." There wasn't an answer, and she had the feeling Eiji was struggling to keep awake through it, but Date continued, "I know you've got to be careful with how much you tell anyone about what happened to you. But believe me when I say you can trust Ami—not just because she's Sailor Mercury, mind you. But she's got a mindset that she's never going to take an unnecessary risk with a patient's life. She looks for whatever options come first."

                "Okay," he mumbled again.

                "It's up to you, though," Date reminded him. "And you don't need to make a decision right now. Okay?" No verbal response—likely a nod. Date's tone was light as he said, "All right. Sleep now."

                Ami hurried to get away from the door, but Date was faster than she was. They stared at each other for a moment, both keenly aware that she'd overheard something she was probably never meant to know.

                Finally, she said, "I'm glad you're taking so much care with him. I know you'd never risk a patient's safety, but..."

                There was an uncomfortable pause before Date answered, "Right." Ami gave him a more scrutinizing look, but he started to walk past her, saying, "Well, we'll see how he is in the morning. Hopefully, we can get him home tomorrow. He gets a little anxious, the longer he's away from other people. Gotta call Shingo and Hina and let them know to wait to see him till then, though. Think Hino's had enough for one night."

                It was too abrupt a change of subject, and Ami knew him well enough to know he was trying to cover something up. And she knew what it had to be.

                "When did you get the surgery?"

                He was completely still for a moment. "Coming up on four years ago."

                "Who did it?"

                "Does it matter?" He turned around. "It wasn't you."

                He hadn't said she'd let him down, but she knew he was thinking it—the same way he'd thought it five years before. "Date..."

                "You know, Ami," he said, his voice still calm despite everything, "you're not the only one going around fighting monsters. Some of us...admittedly aren't in short skirts and heels, but you know what I mean."

                She nodded. "You were helping Eiji."

                "I was," he replied. "But now, helping him is a little different. Maybe a little more stressful, since I can't just wrestle his problems to the ground anymore. But I do what I can."

                She nodded again, and he started to walk away. Before he could get too far, she admitted, "For what it's worth? I'm glad it all worked out."

                He turned back with a grin. "You doubted me?"

                She smiled back. "Others, maybe. You, never."

                He nodded once before reaching for his phone. At least one relationship wasn't completely unsalvageable, especially when Eiji still needed as much support as he could get.

 

~~~

 

                There was a length of silk the color of gold with red, feather-like scrollwork printed on it, bundled up gently and stored away in Hina's closet. When she needed to focus on something else, as she did now that she'd told Shingo everything that had happened, she pulled it out and took her personal design book and tried to work on it.

                If anyone asked, the silk was a gift from Eiji, who'd bought it from a shop in Germany shortly before he'd come home. In truth, it was at least eight-hundred years old, probably bought from merchants on the Silk Road, and given to Eiji the same way the Greeed had received theirs: as part of an alchemical transmutation that would have created Core Medals from his body.

                The gold came from the original reaction, as Eiji's life force was drained into the Medals and the energies surrounding him dyed the cloth over him. The red came from Ankh, who'd pulled himself together only long enough to save Eiji's life. For many reasons, the truth of the fabric's origins was never spoken after Eiji explained what happened to him.

                It was one of a kind, in more ways than one. Imitations could be made, but this contained the essence of two of the people she loved most in the world. It was special, and she had to do it justice, without wasting a scrap.

                The designs she'd already made weren't good enough. The material was bold, but still soft and subtle in some ways, like the gentle curls of the feathers. Pairing it with additional red material might work, but what kind of design? A long, striking evening gown? A short, flaring cocktail dress? A kimono-styled wrap dress?

                She threw out another design as her brother knocked on the door. "Come in."

                Shingo entered, holding his phone. "Date just called. He said Eiji's doing better, but he needs to sleep."

                She nodded, setting down her book. It made sense, with how badly drained he'd been and how hard he'd hit his head. But at least he was okay.

                However, her brother still looked serious as he sat down on the edge of her bed. "Apparently, his sister visited him, and they got into an argument. Because of that, both Date and Eiji's other doctor think it's a good idea he rest instead of seeing anyone else tonight."

                Now, she held her book close to her, softly asking, "Why? She was there—she saw how hurt he was. Why would she..."

                He sighed, shaking his head. "I don't pretend to understand Eiji's family. I'm sure they love each other, but..." Already, Hina was giving him a skeptical look. "I know. It's hard to imagine, considering what kind of family we came from. Our parents always looked out for our best interests and taught us to take care of each other. So I think it's important for us to be Eiji's family, since he hasn't had that luck." She nodded again, looking down at the silk. "So how are you doing?"

                "Better," she admitted. "Especially knowing he'll be okay, but..."

                "But you've never seen him taken down this easily, and so soon after that time travel disaster almost got him killed," he agreed.

                She took a breath, starting to shake all over again. "He never should have been out there. I tried to talk him out of it."

                Shingo gave her a soft, ironic smile. "But it's like talking to a wall, right?"

                Only now could Hina quietly laugh about it. "He never listens. It's always everybody else he puts first. No matter how much we've tried to get him to think about himself."

                "He's working on it," he admitted. "But when it comes down to it, I'm glad you were there. He tends to remember himself better when you're around."

                She lowered her head slightly, just to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks, the way there always was when she got close to this forbidden subject. It was something she could never tell Eiji, the way she still felt this flutter in her heart around him and intense pain when he was hurt.

                "I wish I could have done more," she confessed.

                "What is it he always says?" he asked. "That it's okay if sometimes, you can only go as far as you can reach?"

                She shook her head. "Big Brother, I've got all of this strength, but I can't do anything with it. Nothing that can help him."

                "You can," he insisted. "You hold onto him. You're still holding onto him and holding him up. He needs that too."

                She felt tears running down her face and quickly wiped them before they could land on the silk. She didn't want to risk ruining it, and it didn't need any more pain to go into it. Shingo put his arms around her and hugged her for a moment, and she started to calm down again.

                "I want to check out the area you were attacked tomorrow, so I can only drop you off at Cous Coussier," he said. "Do you think you'll be okay to get to the hospital yourself?"

                "I think so," she answered.

                "Okay," he replied. "I'll give you money for when you stop by the florist."

                She pulled back, looking at him with confusion, but he smiled. "I know you. I know the minute you walk in the door and see Eiji's plain, white room, you're going to think of how much he must hate it, how everything he owns is brightly colored, and how ever since he came home, he hasn't been able to wear white—whether because of the King or being in the hospital. So get him something colorful, from the both of us."

                She smiled. "Thanks, Big Brother."

 

~~~

 

                Eiji screamed underneath the shroud as his body began to fade away. Currents of golden energy ran across his body, everything slowly drawn toward his heart. His voice died, his breathing shallow, and his heart slowed, like his body had suddenly forgotten what it meant to live.

                The clawed hand reached into his chest, and he began to scream again as it pulled something out—the energy pulsating, beating, in a steady rhythm the whole way.

                Rei sat up in bed suddenly, knowing this was too real to be a dream.

                The hand again. This was the second time she'd seen it threatening him. Was this the creature that he'd blindly trusted, that had gotten him hurt?

                The sun was rising, and Athena was perched outside the window, watching her. It was as good a time as any to get up.

                She went over to her companion, as faithful and patient with her as always, and ran a finger over her head.

                Another vision came to mind—Eiji sitting in a hospital bed, his expression unreadable as the doctor said, "There's no easy way to tell you this, so I'd better give it to you straight. This isn't the kind of injury you're just going to bounce back from. There's a very real chance you're never going to walk again."

                She took another breath, breaking the vision before she could see Eiji's reaction. Past or future, she didn't know, but she didn't like it. Sooner or later, he was going to hurt himself, and from the sound of it, nobody was willing to stop him before it got to that point.

                Athena pecked at her hand.

                "No," she said. "Eiji's more than made it clear that he doesn't need me to look out for him."

                Athena didn't seem to take that as an answer and bit Rei's finger, drawing blood. Rei pulled her hand back as she spread her wings and flew off.

 

~~~

 

                Hina walked along the hallway toward Eiji's hospital room. In one hand, she carried a paper bag filled with his clothes and a couple of other things she'd taken from Cous Coussier. In the other, she carefully held a vase filled with fresh flowers—red lilies, yellow roses, and green chrysanthemums, specifically chosen for the TaToBa colors.

                She was just trying to figure out how to knock on his door with her hands so full when a doctor came out of the room.

                "Do you need something?" she asked.

                "I'm sorry," Hina answered. "This is Hino Eiji's room, right?"

                The doctor nodded, smiling. "You're Izumi Hina, right? Date told me to expect you. I'm Dr. Mizuno; I'm helping treat him."

                "Can I see him?" she asked.

                "He's still asleep," she answered. "But if you'd like to leave his things for him, I'll let you."

                Hina managed an awkward bow. "Thank you."

                He looked a little better than he had the night before, despite the IV and the bandage around his head. His head was turned toward the window, and his sleeping expression was peaceful—no pain, no stress, no nightmares.

                Hina set his clothes on a chair by the bed before placing the flowers by the window in the sunlight, so they'd be the first thing he saw when he woke up. Then, very gently, she reached into the bag and removed Ankh's broken Medal and placed it in his other hand.

                Ami watched everything and whispered, "How long have you been in love with him?"

                Hina's face turned bright red as she stammered, "I'm...we're not..."

                But just at that moment, Eiji took a deeper breath and started to open his eyes. His gaze was unfocused for a moment, but when he finally saw the flowers and felt the Medal and Hina's hand, he looked over at her.

                "Eiji," she gasped. "You're..."

                Ami made her way over. "Eiji? It's Dr. Mizuno—do you remember me?"

                He tried to nod, then cringed in pain. He tried to reach for the back of his head with his free hand, but Hina had to stop him. "Don't move that hand—you've got a needle in it."

                "Right," he answered, his voice weak. "I remember."

                Ami checked on the line in his arm, promising, "We'll take it out a little later. You lost a lot of energy during that attack."

                Hina looked at Ami cautiously, but Eiji insisted, "It's okay. She's friends with Date." Turning toward Ami, he asked, "And with Sis too, right? You're the other woman who was there with her—Mercury?"

                Ami had to smile. He was sharp enough to have figured it out with that little evidence, and given the concussion and exhaustion, it was a good sign. "Yes. But I'll probably wait until Date gets here to explain everything."

                "How do you feel?" Hina checked.

                "Drained," he admitted. "And my head hurts where I fell."

                "You hit your head really hard," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

                "You'll have to take it easy," Ami insisted. "Date knows what to watch out for, so he'll probably keep a close eye on you. As far as today goes, if he and I think you can be released, someone needs to stay with you all day and night to make sure you're not getting worse."

                Now, he nodded carefully and started trying to sit up. "How's Mr. Shimoda?"

                "His neighbor," Hina clarified. "He was attacked before Eiji was."

                "He's doing fine," Ami said. "I'll let his wife know you were asking about him."

                "Good," Eiji answered. He looked at the IV line and asked, "Do you think you could unplug this so I can get dressed?"

                "Of course," Ami agreed, turning off the drip.

                As they waited for whatever was left in the line to drain into his body, Eiji looked over at Hina with a tired smile. "Thanks for the flowers."

                She smiled back. "There were a lot of different colors, but I thought you'd like these best."

                "They're perfect," he said. "Thanks."

                Noticing how Hina was starting to blush, Ami unplugged the line and warned, "Be careful with the catheter. Do you need any help putting on your clothes?"

                "I should be okay," he insisted as Hina handed him the bag with his clothes. "Thanks."

                "We'll wait outside, then," Ami promised. "Let us know if you need anything."

                She led Hina outside and closed the door. Waiting until she was sure no one would hear, she quietly said, "You didn't have the chance to answer my question. You're in love with him, aren't you?"

                Blushing wildly, Hina nodded. "For as long as I've known him. It wasn't exactly love at first sight, but over time...I guess I just realized I liked him more than just as a friend."

                Ami looked at her with sympathy. "Does he know?"

                "I hope not," she said. "He's never really shown any interest in love before—well, once, but he wasn't exactly in his right mind at the time."

                "A spell?" she guessed.

                Hina shrugged. "Close enough, I guess. But even then, he seemed so...innocent, about it. Like all he wanted to do was just pick flowers and make her happy. He didn't remember any of it afterwards, which is probably good. I think he'd really be embarrassed about it."

                "He's never mentioned anything to you?" Ami asked. "About love or attraction or anything like that?"

                Now, another blush. "I've seen him in nothing but his underwear more times than I can count. It doesn't bother him no matter who sees him—man or woman. And he's never been able to catch on when someone's in love or attracted to anyone else."

                Ami smiled. "You know, I've never been attracted to anyone before, and throughout middle school, even _thinking_ about love was enough to make me break out." Hina had to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter. "Over time, I accepted that I was asexual and aromantic. I didn't want to fall in love or need to, but I never held it against any of my friends who did. Although, I did wish they'd focus on their studies a little more."

                Hina smiled and nodded. "I don't know if Eiji can't fall in love. To be honest, he seems to love _everybody._ But the way he is, I feel like he doesn't understand what it means to be _in love_ with someone. He shares his heart so freely that the idea of how important it is to give your heart to someone else—I don't know if he gets it."

                Ami thought of the way he looked right to Hina the moment he noticed the flowers and felt her hand holding his. She thought of how he stayed awake, only because she stayed with him and kept him talking.

                "He may understand better than you think he does," she admitted.

                There was a hint of worry on Hina's face, and she confessed, "I think I'm more afraid of that. He's always giving everything to the people he loves, and it's been hard to get him to realize that he needs to take too. I'm scared that if he ever did fall in love, he'd give until there was nothing left. I've seen him like that before, and I never want that to happen to him again."

                Her hands were clenched up into fists so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. It was a fear she'd lived with for a while, and though Ami had been Sailor Mercury for far longer than Eiji had been OOO, she couldn't think of anything to say that might ease Hina's fears.

                As if coming to their rescue, Date came walking in. "Ami, Hina—is Hino awake?"

                "He's changing right now," Ami said. "He should probably be done by now."

                "All right," Date answered, knocking on the door. "Yo, Hino—you done in there?"

                "You can come in," he said.

                In retrospect, Hina's comment about frequently seeing him in his underwear probably should have been a good enough warning. So when Date opened the door, there he was, still trying to pull his pants on. Both Hina and Date cringed in embarrassment, but Ami's eyes were on the long scar across his chest.

                But before she could try to address it, Date complained, "You think just once you can warn us when you're not dressed?"

                Eiji started to pull on a shirt. "Sorry."

                "Hey, watch out for that catheter!" Date warned. "You're gonna hurt yourself doing that!"

                He took Eiji's arm before he could put it through the sleeve, and Eiji winced. "Can't you just take it out now?"

                "Fine," he grumbled. "Ami, mind checking his energy levels? Need to know if we're gonna need to put a new one in once this one's out."

                "All right," Ami agreed, closing the door so she could activate her visor. She read through the data and compared it across what she'd collected the night before. She gasped suddenly and looked from the computer to Eiji before warning, "Date, sit him down now."

                Date kept calm as he helped Eiji sit back on the bed. "What's going on?"

                "You tell me," she said. "His energy is recovering at an accelerated rate."

                "What?" Date asked, moving over next to her.

                Hina walked over to Eiji, who just stared blankly at the whole thing. Neither was sure if they should be worried, and if so, how much.

                "Damn," Date breathed. "Everything's normalizing. Within a few hours, he'll be in the best condition he's been since he came home."

                "That's good, right?" Hina asked.

                "Depends on what's causing it," Date said. "Even for Hino, this isn't normal. There's no way to tell right now if this is going to cause any long-term damage to his body."

                Hina held Eiji's hand tight—tight enough that she knew he was feeling the pain. But he didn't react, too shocked by the revelation to feel much of anything now.

                "What do we do?" she asked.

                Date looked at Ami, who nodded. "I think it's time we come clean to each other. We're calling your sister. There's a lot you guys need to talk about."


	3. Chasing Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Eiji recovering alarmingly fast, the Riders and Sailors compare notes, while Shingo hopes to find a way to protect them from the Leeches.

                "I've got it," Shingo answered. "I'm almost done here, so I'll meet up with you." With that, he hung up his phone and sighed. As if things weren't messy enough, now Eiji was recovering so fast he might actually be in danger, and they needed to call everyone together to talk about it.

                He heard a screech from one of his Taka candroids. It flew over in front of him, and he asked, "You found them?"

                An unfamiliar voice behind him asked, "Why are you talking to it?"

                Shingo turned. Behind him was an elegant woman, dressed in red and black. She showed no surprise at the mechanical hawk, but she looked at him like she was trying to make a decision about him. He couldn't see any resemblance between the two, but he knew immediately that this was Eiji's sister.

                "I picked up the habit from your brother," he answered evenly. "No matter what anyone tells him, if he feels something deserves to be treated like a real, living thing, he'll do that."

                Now, she narrowed her eyes. He had a feeling he'd said exactly what she didn't want to hear. Too bad. He didn't have the highest opinion of the Hino family—much of what he'd learned about them was filtered through Ankh's own reactions and emotions, but the information alone was enough to disgust him even more than Ankh would let on.

                "You're friends with Eiji?" she asked.

                He nodded. "Izumi Shingo."

                "He's mentioned you," she said. "The police officer. I'm sorry to say there's not much you're going to be able to do here."

                For a moment, he wondered if she'd said that on purpose—after all, there was hardly any trace of sympathy in her voice. So he tried his hardest not to let on how much the comment stung, simply replying, "I can still investigate enough. My sister was right in the middle of that attack, and as far as I'm convinced, Eiji's part of my family too. So I'm going to find out how I can protect them, regardless of what you say or do."

                She only stared at him, unimpressed. He turned away and followed the candroid to a garbage can, where crows were already picking at the dead candroids. The active Taka started trying to scare them off while Rei noted, "You can stand to be kinder to them. They can remember faces."

                "I'll be kind when they stop interfering with my investigation," he deadpanned. "Unless you had another suggestion? One that might actually help?"

                She walked over, holding out her hands while making soothing noises. The crows stopped fighting with the candroid, and two of them flew over to her, searching for treats. It bought enough time for Shingo to retrieve the candroids.

                "Thank you," he said reluctantly, suddenly understanding why Ankh never thanked anybody. It was irritating and embarrassing to get help from someone you didn't want to like.

                The crows realized Rei didn't have any food and flew off. She didn't respond, watching him with the kind of cool, impersonal disinterest he expected from a Greeed. He wanted to scream at her why? Why start arguing with Eiji when he was too injured to explain himself? Why act like everything was his fault? Why act so unsympathetic when he was hurt and needed support?

                But before he could, a woman in a kimono came running over toward him, holding a bouquet of purple flowers.

                "Detective Izumi?" she called.

                He looked away from Rei, recognizing the woman. "Mrs. Shimoda," he greeted. "How is your husband?"

                "Better," she answered. "The doctor says it's a bad case of the flu. He's to stay there for at least another day, and when he gets home, he'll have to stay in bed a little while, but he'll be fine."

                "That's good," he replied.

                "I was on my way to visit him," she said, "but I wanted to stop by and deliver these to your sister. Since you're here, it's easier."

                She handed him the bouquet—carnations, in shades of purple he'd never seen before.

                "Thank you," he said. "But what for?"

                "If she hadn't called for an ambulance, someone might not have found him before the cold got to him," she explained. "This is the least we could do to thank her."

                "I'll let her know," he promised. "But it wasn't just Hina. Eiji was there too. From the sound of it, he was trying to keep your husband warm until help arrived. He even got hurt trying to keep him safe."

                And there it was—the slightest twitch that indicated Mrs. Shimoda didn't want to be reminded of Eiji's role in helping. "Yes, that's right. I had a card for him, but I must have left it at home. I'm just in such a rush to see my husband—I'll make sure it gets to him."

                Despite the fact that he knew Eiji would very likely prefer not to have anything to do with them for the rest of his life, Shingo couldn't help but feel a little hurt on his behalf over this reaction. They hadn't let go of that grudge at all.

                Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rei glaring coolly, her hands in fists as if she was fighting the urge to say something to Mrs. Shimoda. At least there was that.

                Mrs. Shimoda seemed to notice the cold stare she was receiving, and she asked, "I'm sorry, you are?"

                No need for this to turn into a bigger problem than it already was. Shingo quickly stepped in-between them and promised, "I'll make sure Eiji knows. Just be careful—we don't need anyone else getting sick."

                Crisis averted—Mrs. Shimoda was distracted enough to ignore Rei and turned a polite smile to Shingo. "I will, thank you."

                "Let your husband know I'm glad he's all right," he added.

                "Of course, thank you," she answered, shooting Rei a suspicious look before hurrying off.

                Shingo sighed. That would probably be a problem for Eiji and Chiyoko down the line, but at least it had been delayed for a while—unlike his current uncomfortable situation. Once again, he was alone with Rei.

                At least this time, he had something to distract him—the flowers. The colors were vivid, in shades from the palest lavender to dark eggplant. He'd never seen anything like them before, and as he looked at them more closely, Rei said, "They're not dyed. A friend of mine runs a flower shop. Carnations don't naturally have genes for purple or blue, so these are specially modified." Her tone was matter-of-fact, hard to tell if she approved or not. Either way, she added, "She picked a beautiful bouquet. They must really appreciate what your sister did."

                He looked at the flowers even more uncomfortably than before. "But not as much what your brother did."

                She was silent, and a thought occurred to him: Just because she was being hard on Eiji, it didn't mean she didn't care. Some of the most important people in his life had been blunt and harsh with him. They had to be, sometimes. She might have been one of them.

                Sighing, he said, "They want us to wait for them at the restaurant. Apparently, there's a lot they want to go over about Eiji, and about you." She didn't answer, but by now, he was coming to expect it. "Come on. I borrowed my sister's key." She did follow, however, and that was something.

 

~~~

 

                Date insisted on running a few more tests—not because he didn't trust Ami's readings, but because he wanted to make sure it was showing up in physical readings from Eiji and not just bio-energy readings. They drew blood and other samples, running half of them through Ami's computer and sending the rest off to the lab on a rush-order. Ami would be able to give them the results later.

                For now, she sighed as she analyzed everything. "It doesn't make sense. Your results are showing no normal activity from your cells—or at least, depressed activity."

                "So that means?" Hina asked.

                "Whatever this energy is, it's not coming from your body, Eiji," she said. "It's coming from outside, like..."

                "Like you're plugged in, instead of going off your own batteries," Date said. "But your body needs to be able to consume and produce its own energy."

                "But where's this energy coming from?" Hina asked.

                Eiji had been silent throughout the tests, but now, he took Ankh's Medal out of his pocket and placed it down.

                "It's this, isn't it?" he asked.

                Ami looked over at it and immediately noted threads of energy connecting between them. "Yes. It's definitely connected to you—it's feeding you its energy."

                Eiji deflated, and Hina asked, "That's Ankh's Core—what'll happen to him?"

                Ami looked at Date, who shrugged. "We're still learning as we go with these things. But given what happened before, it sounds like Anko's putting what's left of his life on the line again."

                Eiji shook his head. "We have to stop him. I can't..." He closed his eyes, and Hina took his hand again.

                "Rei should be able to cut off the connection," Ami insisted. "But it might be dangerous. We've never used one of her wards against something that wasn't actively trying to harm anyone."

                "I have to try," he said. "Ankh keeps putting himself at risk to help me. I can't let him, or anyone, do that for my sake."

                Ami noticed the uncomfortable expressions on Hina's and Date's faces. They were used to this response, and they were used to telling Eiji the same thing.

                "All right," she agreed finally. "We'll try it. But it's important that you follow all of our instructions. Your energy levels are going to drop fast the moment it happens, and add in your concussion, and you'll really need the rest."

                When Eiji nodded, Date said, "Okay. Let's get you checked out then."

                They started out the door, and Eiji took the bag with his clothes from the night before, along with Ankh's Medal. Hina grabbed the flowers, but before he could leave, she said, "Wait." He stopped at the door and turned back to her. "How did you know it was Ankh's Medal?"

                He hesitated for a moment before answering, "You know how I've been having nightmares since I got back?" She nodded. "The medicine's helped with it, but...sometimes, I see Ankh in those dreams. And I think I've been pulling him into them." He stopped again, staring at the Medal. The alchemical reaction that had almost killed Eiji had fused the halves of Ankh's Core back together, giving him just enough energy to save him. "When he saved me, he said he was borrowing some of my energy. Maybe he's trying to give it back? I don't know. But I can't let him do something that's going to hurt him again. Not for me."

                "Eiji," she said softly. "Ankh did that because he cares about you."

                He shook his head, as if he were desperately trying to keep from breaking down. "I can't ask anyone to do that. I...I can't."

                There was so much Hina wanted to say. So many risks Eiji had taken. So many times he'd been hospitalized or bedridden from injuries. So many orders he'd ignored because he felt like he had to be out there, protecting everyone.

                In the end, the only thing she could say was "We want to protect you too."

                He stared at her, not quite like he didn't understand what she was saying, but more like he understood perfectly—except that he didn't know what it was supposed to mean for him. He started to look away, as if trying to figure out what to say...

                "Hey," Date called, returning for them. "You want to go home or not?"

                Eiji nodded, as if grateful for the interruption. "Yeah. Let's go."

                Hina watched after him as they followed. She knew what it looked like when he didn't want to worry anyone—she'd seen that more than enough times. This, somehow, seemed different, and she couldn't quite place it.

                But as if he knew she was trying to study his reaction, he gave her a smile—the kind he always gave when he tried to tell her everything was going to be okay. Even though she knew it was fake—this kind of smile never reached his eyes—she had to smile back. She always did.

 

~~~

 

                Shingo sat at a table with a box of fine screwdrivers, trying for the tenth time to pry the broken Taka candroid open. For the tenth time, the screwdriver slipped, and he narrowly missed cutting himself.

                "We already know about the Leeches," Rei warned. "You're hurting yourself for no reason."

                He shook the pain out of his hand and tried again. "There might be information that Hina and Eiji didn't see. Something that might help."

                Or maybe, he just didn't want to look useless, especially in front of her. Maybe he couldn't help in battle, maybe Eiji had figured out how to handle the Medals fine without Ankh, maybe they really didn't need him all that much, but he could at least do what he could on this end. Eiji wasn't that great with technology, and really had only learned as much as he absolutely needed. Shingo could at least examine the candroids for him.

                The plating finally came loose, and he cried out, "I got it!" before exposing the circuitry. The tiny hard drive was easy enough to pull out, and he grabbed an already-disassembled Kujaku candroid he'd brought from home.

                "I should be able to plug this in, and we can see what the candroid did," he explained.

                "Can't you do that remotely?" she asked.

                The question was curious, not argumentative. Still, he found himself a little defensive as he said, "The person who originally developed these betrayed everyone and tried to kill us. I want to learn as much about them as I can, to make sure he didn't leave behind any surprises."

                There was silence from Rei for a moment. Then for the first time, she had a note of approval in her voice as she said, "Good plan."

                A compliment. He wasn't quite sure how to take it, so he nodded before admitting, "I've customized a few of my own, in case there was a case where we wouldn't want the data going to the Kougami Foundation. I sent one ahead last night to find Hina. It picked up you, watching over her."

                "I needed to purify the area," she explained. "And I wasn't about to leave her alone."

                "Even so, thank you," he replied, plugging the hard drive into the Kujaku. "She's the only family I have left."

                Silence again. So this time, he finished replacing the plating on the candroid and answered, "Done. Let's see what we've got."

                He turned it on, and the peacock spun its tail feathers for a moment as it loaded the video, finally displaying it as a hologram before them. The Taka had flown up to the streetlight and was examining it from every angle. A shadow passed in front of it before the footage blacked out. Shingo backed up the video and tried it again.

                "I don't see anything," he admitted.

                "I do," Rei said, pointing by the lamp. "Look right there—see that shadow?"

                Shingo backed up a frame and looked at the hologram. While the hologram didn't have quite the resolution the two-dimensional video uplink to Eiji's phone did, it did offer one advantage: it offered more depth. Here, it was easy to see there was something not quite right about the shadow's placement or shape.

                "That's the Leech," she explained. "They're shapeshifters, almost invisible and powerless in the light."

                "Why isn't it hiding, then?" Shingo asked.

                "Because it needs the electricity," she said. "It's a quicker source of energy than living beings, but not as filling."

                "A snack," he realized. "And then it got the candroid."

                "They're messy eaters, though," she warned. "Part of what's safer about them consuming electricity is that it's too much for them to eat all at once, and it's constantly refreshing itself. Smaller electronics, like these, are easier to drain."

                "And a human?" he asked.

                She looked grim, answering only, "That man was lucky. Eiji was too."

                That was more than Shingo really wanted to know, and he leaned back in his chair, mulling over the information. "Mr. Shimoda was already on his way home by that point. Why pass him up for a snack until then?"

                "He was passing under the lamps," she reminded him. "It needed to fill up on enough energy to even get close to him between shadows."

                "So if all it wanted was to eat, why stick around?" he asked, looking over at the drained candroids. "Two snacks and a full meal. Then someone else comes along, and even though he's fighting back, it keeps trying. Why? Why go through all that when you've already eaten? It goes against survival mechanisms."

                "The Leeches aren't living animals," she argued.

                "They're acting like they are," he insisted. "It still counts. Why would any animal put itself at risk to eat when it should already be full?"

                There was no answer. But the door opened again, and Date walked in, carrying a bag of groceries.

                "Sorry we took a while," he said. "Wanted to make sure we got Hino something to eat."

                Eiji was a few steps behind, with Hina and Ami. The moment he saw Rei, he stopped, as if not entirely sure what to do.

                "Sis."

                She barely responded, simply giving him a critical look. "You look better."

                "That's one of our problems," Ami insisted, making him sit down.

                The carnations had been placed in a vase on the table, and Hina set Eiji's flowers next to them. Seeing the new ones, she asked, "Where did these come from?"

                Shingo tried not to cringe as he said, "Mrs. Shimoda asked me to give these to you as thanks." With an apologetic look at Eiji, he said, "Apparently, your thank you was lost in the mail."

                The expected reaction was swift. Hina stared in horror, and Date got up angrily, looking almost like he was going to head over to the Shimodas' and give them a piece of his mind. Ami was more reserved about it, but even she looked like she wasn't about to stop Date, and Rei was still quietly fuming over the slight.

                But Eiji just smiled and nodded, insisting, "At least he's okay. That's what's important."

                "Doesn't make it right," Date pointed out. "You really should be more upset about this."

                He shook his head. "It's okay. At least it means they'll leave Chiyoko alone about me for a while."

                "Eiji," Hina argued, pushing over the flowers, "half of these are yours. You did just as much as me—more."

                "It's okay," he insisted. "The flowers don't mean anything by themselves—it's the feeling behind them." This time, his smile was more genuine. "The ones I already got? I know what they mean. Thank you."

                Hina had to lower her head to hide her blush, and knowing the last thing she needed was for everything to be more awkward, Shingo said, "Ms. Hino told me a bit about the Leeches, but I don't know if I understand it all."

                "The Leeches?" Eiji repeated.

                "It would be better if we go over it together," Ami decided.

                "Is that the creature that attacked Eiji?" Hina asked.

                Rei nodded. "They're dark spirits, apparently native to Earth, since they don't seem connected to any enemy we've ever fought before; and prayers and purification rituals seem to work against them."

                "And they drain energy," Shingo added. "Is it just human energy and electricity?"

                "We haven't seen them try anything else," Ami admitted. "Although, Eiji's transformation energy is a new source. This is why Rei and I are the only ones here—our primary attacks aren't energy-based, and we've found that like living beings, they're vulnerable to extreme heat and extreme cold."

                "They can drain energy with a single touch," Rei said. "It doesn't have to be very long for you to start feeling the effects."

                "But why did it wait when Eiji fell?" Hina asked. Eiji looked at her, confused, and she said, "Don't you remember? It stopped for a moment before touching your forehead."

                Eiji glanced down, trying to think. "It's a little fuzzy there. All I remember is my head hurt. That was all I could think of."

                "You were screaming," she said.

                "That's one of the Leech's nastier tricks," Date explained. "The thing's psychic."

                "The Leeches are connected via some kind of telepathic hive mind," Ami said. "We hope that if we can destroy just one when it's connected, we can destroy them all. But one of our problems is that they can use those abilities against their victims. We've had some patients who were attacked, and when the Leech makes its way through, it's hardly gentle, and it causes lesions and swelling inside the brain."

                "Mind you, Hino's fine," Date hastily pointed out, putting up his hands. "Relatively speaking. I looked at the scans too, just to be sure. There's no damage there."

                Eiji stared at the table, barely processing any of it. "How...why..."

                "This is just a guess," Ami warned, "but it's possible when the Leech sensed a strong power from you and didn't understand it, it tried to invade your mind to see if it could learn more."

                "What would have happened to Eiji if the Leech succeeded?" Hina asked.

                Ami sighed, "I don't know. We haven't had a patient yet who survived the psychic attack without harm to their brain. It's possible the mind's own defenses are working against it, and fighting the Leech instead of letting it...for lack of a better term, 'slide' through, is causing the damage. But with that kind of pain, it would be almost impossible to make a conscious effort not to resist. As to what would happen to them...it's possible they'd become part of the hive mind. No Leech abilities, but Leech control."

                For a moment, everyone was silent. The possibility was horrifying; the suggestion even moreso. The only way to survive the Leeches intact was to become one with them, to give up everything.

                Slowly, Eiji shook his head, trying to deny the rising fear. "The people who were attacked—is there a way they can..."

                "Ami's doing what she can with her powers," Rei answered, her voice level. "But it endangers her and them. She can't use too much, or she'll be helpless against the Leeches..."

                "And if the patients get too much energy, their own bodies won't start working normally on their own," he realized.

                Rei narrowed her eyes, and Ami warned, "It's already happened. It seems like Eiji's friend is already trying to replace his energy."

                Now, she glared at him, but he argued, "It's not like I asked him to do it! I'd rather be in the hospital and drained than have him risk himself like this!"

                Rei was taken aback by the blunt honesty of his outburst as Shingo cringed and Hina gave him a worried look. Date groaned, "Hino, you don't have to put it like _that._ "

                "It's true!" he insisted. But seeing his friends' concern, he took a breath to calm himself down and said, "I know how much I scare you when I put my life in danger for you. So you have to understand why I don't want Ankh to do the same for me. Not when it's something I can do on my own, even if it takes me a while. I can live with the recovery. I've been doing that for a while now."

                Rei didn't let up, asking, "Why?"

                He stopped, looking at everyone. He couldn't use his usual excuse, that he'd been in an accident while in Europe and had needed months at home to recover—Rei and Ami knew enough to know it was a lie. But he couldn't tell them the whole truth either. How could he, when the truth was he'd gone back in time and had almost been killed by the original OOO in order to create another set of Core Medals?

                His eyes settled on Hina for a moment. There had been a back-up plan, just in case things went bad and he didn't recover—just enough truth for others to believe, all of it dependent on revealing that he was OOO. In retrospect, half-truths weren't much better than outright lies, but the full truth couldn't be revealed so easily.

                His breath was a little shakier than he expected when he said, "I was kidnapped. By a group called Foundation X. They caught up to me in Germany. I'd fought them once before, and I guess I impressed them."

                Rei was silent, staring at him with an expression he couldn't figure out. It wasn't quite anger, maybe some disappointment and confusion, but other than that, he wasn't sure. Nervous, he quickly said, "They wanted to know how my powers worked, why I could use them fine when they'd corrupted the King. They..."

                "They experimented on you," Ami realized.

                He nodded. "They found the raw ingredients for the Core Medals and tested them inside my body, poisoning me. Draining my energy." It was hard to admit the next part—harder when he considered how involved his role had truly been in the past. "I almost didn't make it."

                "Is that where the scar on your chest came from?" Ami asked. "The experiments?"

                Somehow, he smiled, shaking his head. "No, that was kind of an accident. They gave me one right here." He touched along his back, near his shoulder blade. "When that happened, I jerked forward and hit the sword in front of me."

                There was complete silence for a moment. Even for those who knew what had happened, the explanation was uncomfortably close to the truth—just shifting the blame to the other enemies involved, and omitting the part about the Cores created from Eiji's body and energy. Eiji himself felt cold, the way he always did when he had to talk about the real thing.

                Then softly, Rei asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

                He gave the only answer he could think of: he shrugged and asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were Sailor Mars?"

                In the quiet that followed, Ami said, "Rei, Eiji needs to be cut off from that energy, but in a way that won't hurt his friend. Can you do that?"

                Rei shook off her shock and said, "It'll need to be a formal purification. I don't have what I need to do it here. I'll have to do it at the shrine."

                "He still needs to eat something," Date warned. "Can we meet you there?"

                She nodded. "It's Hikawa Shrine, in Azabu."

                "I can tell you where to go," Eiji insisted.

                "That'll work," Date agreed. "Anyone else coming?"

                Ami smiled, but shook her head. "I can't. I still have patients, so I need to get back to the hospital. But I'll meet up with you later."

                "Okay, I'll pick you up," Date agreed. "There's something I want to get anyway, in case those Leeches show up again. Don't want to get caught off-guard."

                "Speaking of," Shingo said. "Eiji, I'm going to take the Driver and Medals."

                Eiji turned to him in surprise. "Why?"

                "Because you shouldn't transform under these circumstances," he reminded him. "And if that purification is going to cut off Ankh's energy to you, you don't need something that will draw the Leeches to you when you can't escape."

                "But..." he protested.

                "Listen to him," Date advised. "The rest of us can guard those a lot better. And right now, they don't know that he's got them."

                Reluctantly, Eiji handed over the case and the Driver. "I don't like the idea of making you a target."

                "It's only until night," Shingo promised. "The Leeches can't do anything in the light, so I'm safe during the day." Then seeing that Hina was just as hesitant, he insisted, "I'll be fine. Once the ritual's over, I can hand them over to Dr. Mizuno or Ms. Hino. This way, we're not giving the Leeches a reason to go after their victims again."

                "Stay inside, then," Ami warned. "And keep the lights on."

                "I will," he promised. "And I'll bring these flowers home too." Hina looked like she wanted to argue, but he said, "Hina, I'll be fine. If you want to stay with Eiji, then that's fine."

                "I can drop her off on my way to pick up Ami," Date offered. "Won't be a problem."

                "Is that okay with you?" Shingo checked. When Hina nodded, he said, "Okay. Then I'll see you all later."

                Eiji started to get up, but Date sat him down quickly, placing a bento box in front of him with a look on his face that promised trouble if he didn't start eating now. Apologetically, Eiji looked up and said, "Be careful."

                "I will," Shingo promised. "You take care of yourself."

                As Eiji nodded, Shingo stepped out to his car, followed by Ami and Rei, already parting ways. For a moment, Rei stopped and watched Shingo load everything into his car, almost sensing something. But it was too vague to figure it out, and all she saw was a crow flying overhead—Athena? She couldn't tell. But she still felt uneasy, watching after Shingo as he drove off, wondering if maybe, Eiji was right about him making himself too big a target.

 

~~~

 

                There were crows everywhere.

                This was not unusual, since they did well in large cities. They were smart enough to tear apart garbage bags for materials for their nests, knew how to use passing cars to crack open nuts for them, and had a keen memory for humans who were kind to them or dangerous to them.

                Shingo did not worry about the crows.

                They were in the background of the world as they always were, and he had bigger things to worry about. The attack on Hina and Eiji. Eiji's sudden recovery—strange even by his standards, all because Ankh was being reckless with his energy. Rei.

                The crows were the least of his concern.

                He set the flowers on the kitchen table and put the disassembled candroids on his desk in front of the computer. Though he watched the video play again, there wasn't much that they could tell him now. The Leech had drained the power right out of them, then gone after Eiji. It had been easy.

                ...Except that as Hina said, the Leech had a chance to drain Eiji before he could transform, and it waited. It waited, and it _watched._

                "Why?" he asked. "It had to know that Eiji was trying to fight back. Why let him?"

                For that matter, why the psychic attack? Eiji was already injured by that point—absorbing his energy should have been easy.

                But Eiji was emitting bursts of energy mid-transformation. The candroids were one thing, but a human shouldn't be doing that.

                If a living creature saw something it didn't understand, it would watch. It would learn. And a human would ask questions.

                Telepathic hive mind.

                Telepathic intrusion.

                "It wasn't an attack," he realized with dread. "It was trying to _learn_."

                He heard a crash at the window and looked over in surprise at a flock of crows outside attacking one of their own, smashing it into the glass before letting it fall to the ground. Something about it didn't seem right, and old instincts, adopted from Ankh, told him it was time to run, time to get out.

                The Kujaku candroid suddenly went dead, followed by his resting computer. The main power was turned on, but there was no power there. He didn't feel it coming upon him yet, but he grabbed the Medal case and sprinted out of the room.

                The power loss followed him.

                The living room was still brightly lit, just the same as his bedroom, but the electricity died behind him all the same. He could just feel a chill entering the room, but he didn't see or feel anything coming for him. Rei said that the Leeches were weakened by light, but he could see all the places in the apartment where shadows could hide.

                But just off to his left was the cabinet that held the family shrine, and the picture of his late parents stared back at him, as if offering to help. The shrine was Buddhist, not Shinto, but Rei hadn't specified if the blessings had to be from any particular religion. Offering a silent apology and a thank you to his parents, he pushed the shrine directly into the hallway, blocking off the living room.

                The Leech was right in front of him now. It was the mass of shadow Hina had described, but still transparent, the sunlight passing through it. Vaguely humanoid, tilting what appeared to be its head as it stood with the shrine between them. Shingo held his breath as it reached toward the shrine, only for a translucent lotus blossom to appear, pushing away the Leech as it bloomed. There was a terrible screech as the Leech pulled back, burning from the attack and dissolving in the sunlight.

                Shingo didn't waste time watching it die. He raced out the door, all too aware of how dark the halls of his complex were, keenly aware of every flickering light until he made it out to the staircase.

                The crows were waiting for him.

                He came to a stop. They were sitting all along the edge of the staircase, with more hovering over them, their flapping wings obscuring the light.

                There was an awful, cold feeling against his back, and he pulled away, turning around. The Leech had found its way around the shrine and drained every ounce of electricity it needed to recover. Now that it was solid, Shingo had to reassess his opinion of it. "Humanoid" was a little too generous. It was skeletal, with shadow stretched over it in a terrible mockery of skin, but it could change its form however needed to pursue its prey. And now, it chose a ribcage topped with a gaping skull just barely hidden under the shadow-skin. The legs were like a spider's, and as if it had grossly misunderstood human anatomy, the arms were located inside the ribcage.

                He suddenly realized he had to fight it off, but there was nothing that he had on him that would work. A single touch would drain him, just as it had Eiji, but he couldn't very well risk using the Medal case to put some distance between him.

                He had to run.

                Down the stairs, desperately trying to beat the shadows as they came to block off his exit. Reaching for his phone, trying to call anyone, but the battery was dead. Through the dark tunnel, chasing the light.

                Feeling the cold bones close around him.

                The Leech had shapeshifted again, releasing its ribcage like a trap to snare around him while its head bobbed on its spine. Shingo's energy was drained only to the point where he couldn't resist as the hands pulled the Medals and Driver away from him before joining the rest of the body, attaching itself through tendrils of darkness. The Leech looked down at them for a moment before craning its neck toward Shingo, drawing itself and him closer and closer until their heads touched. There was an awful, clawing pain, like it was trying to rip his brain open, and he started to scream. There was no way to keep them out, only to...

                The Leech disappeared, and Shingo collapsed as the darkness around him faded. The crows spread their wings and flew away, allowing the sun to shine over the places where the shadows had fallen.

                Shingo rose to his feet and made his way back home.


	4. Let the Shadows In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Rei performs purification rites on Eiji, Ami faces a difficult battle against the Leeches, somehow stronger than ever. And despite everyone's best efforts, Hina may be drawn into the middle of everything.

                Eiji couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive as they approached the shrine, offerings in hand. The next day was New Year's Eve, but it was still crowded anyway, with people trying to get their blessings and purifications done before the end of the year. The day itself would be even worse.

                "What kind of purification is your sister going to do?" Hina asked, picking up on his nervousness.

                "I don't know," he admitted. "I mean, probably oharae, since there's so many people, but I don't know what else. I know I'm kind of a special case."

                As Hina nodded, Date said, "Don't worry about it. Just got to make your way through the prayers, see what else she needs you to do, and then rest afterwards."

                "We'll stay with you," Hina promised.

                Feeling slightly more reassured, he nodded, and after cleansing their hands, they made their way into the shrine. Rei met them as they placed money in the box for offerings, and he handed her a bouquet of flowers.

                "Casablanca lilies," she noticed. "For your offering?"

                "Kind of?" he admitted. "It's also for you. I honestly don't know what else I need. I've really been bad on keeping up with harae."

                "When's the last time you had a formal purification?" she asked.

                He winced. "How old was I when we found Athena?" As she started to sigh, he insisted, "Mostly, I've tried to keep up with the paper dolls, since I've been traveling so much. I really haven't had a chance to attend."

                "All right," she answered. "Oharae isn't for another hour. That gives me enough time to try to cut off the connection, and then the purification should help protect you against the Leeches afterwards." He nodded, but hesitantly, and she had to sigh, "I promise, I won't yell at you this time."

                He shook his head. "It's not that. It's just...well, this isn't going to involve misogi, is it?"

                Now, she had to smile. "No. In your condition, the shock of the cold water would probably make you pass out."

                And now, he was relieved enough to smile back. "Okay, good. I was a little worried about that."

                "Come this way," Rei instructed, leading them away.

                The area was closed off with bamboo and blessed ropes, both for purification and privacy, and when the shrine maidens saw them coming, they bowed to Rei before leaving. Then, with a cry of "Mars Crystal Power, make up!" she transformed, standing before them as Sailor Mars.

                "I'm sorry," she said. "I have to block this off."

                "We got it," Date answered. "We'll just wait right here."

                Though Hina gave Eiji a look of reluctance, he smiled and insisted, "It'll be fine."

                Finally, she nodded. "Okay."

                Rei held up several ofuda and set them in a circle around herself and Eiji, sealing off the purified area. At a single gesture, the papers ignited, locking them within a ring of flame. As she watched the purification begin, Hina asked Date, "How do you know about the Sailor Guardians? I don't think Eiji even knows all that much."

                "Ami and I go way back," he explained, stretching as he sat down. "We went to the same medical school in America. Ran in different circles, but when Guardian stuff came up...well, I got the name 'The Fighting Doctor' for a _reason_ , you know? Me and Mercury versus the zombies in Chicago."

                She stared at him, a little skeptical. "Zombies?"

                "Well," he admitted, "parasites who fed off brain tissue in order to control a host body. But _technically_ , that makes them zombies." She laughed. "Anyway, since we were kind of stuck together, hiding out in the morgue before we could fight them all off, she told me everything—about the Sailor Guardians, about their mission to protect the Moon Princess, and everything else."

                "Moon Princess?" she repeated.

                "Yeah," he said. "Not Kaguya, though from the sound of it, she came after and was kind of evil comet or something." Hina stared in confusion, but he only continued, "So there were these princesses, and they lived on the moon, serving another princess, Serenity. Except she fell in love with some prince from Earth, another girl there got jealous and kicked off a genocidal war against the moon people, the Prince and Princess got killed, her mom tried to seal off the great evil and kinda failed at it, and everyone got reborn on Earth to try it again. So that's where Ami comes in—she's the modern incarnation of the original Sailor Mercury. Rei's the modern Sailor Mars. Also, there's a whole lot of stuff about the future, some kind of Crystal Tokyo, some talismans, Guardians for the rest of the solar system and things that aren't even planets, super-powerful crystals, and something about a big ol' hotpot in the center of the universe."

                For a long time, Hina didn't know what to say. But she regretted asking Date for the explanation. Maybe later, she'd have to ask Ami and Rei themselves.

                Within the flames, Rei had to keep herself from laughing at Date's ridiculous and yet eerily accurate description of her and her friends' lives.

                Instead, she focused on the incantations she had to recite, holding one of the ritual wands, the shaku, before making the offering of lilies. Eiji knelt down in the middle of the circle, placing Ankh's cracked Medal in front of him, and she sprinkled warm salt water on the both of them. For a moment, Eiji thought he felt a burning sensation where the water landed, and he wondered if maybe it was Rei's power breaking through Ankh's. Rei then took another wand, the onusa, and waved it in front of him. There seemed to be no difference between Rei the priestess and Rei the Sailor Guardian, he thought, as he watched the paper streamers wave back from side to side. He closed his eyes as the flames danced around him, much like the kagura performed by the shrine maidens.

                Ankh was sitting in front of him.

                Eiji didn't try to open his eyes—he knew the vision would fade the moment he did. But for now, he could see his friend, slouching, one leg outstretched and the other knee up so he could lean against it, scowling at him. The threads of flame connecting them were breaking, dissolving in the salt water Rei blessed them with.

                "So," Ankh said. "One of the times I can help you, and this is what you do?"

                Eiji wanted to explain why he was doing this, but he found himself silent in the face of the ritual. He could only try to will his thoughts and feelings over.

                "Hmph," Ankh muttered. "They really think I'd put either one of us in danger over this? I'm not a self-sacrificial idiot like you are."

                Please, Eiji silently begged. Just break the connection. Stay safe.

                Ankh's presence went quiet, the way he usually got when he was being reluctantly kind.

                "Fine," he answered. "But the next time you need it, I'm not going to be able to help you the same way."

                Ritual or not, Eiji couldn't let this go unsaid. He started to call out, "Ankh, I'm sorry," but more salt water sprayed onto him, and the vision disappeared. He opened his eyes to see Rei holding another ofuda, already blazing with holy power.

                "Begone," she said gently as she placed it against him.

                He didn't feel the fire, but he felt the sudden break of power. He slumped forward, and Rei just managed to catch him as she transformed back. The circle of flames died down, and the ofuda burned themselves out. He was shivering, he realized, and Hina and Date ran up to grab him.

                "I'm okay," he insisted. "I don't think I was ready for it to cut off like that."

                "He should be fine after rest," Rei said, "but I want him to go through oharae, just in case. It should provide enough protection against further drains or psychic attacks."

                "Isn't it a little early for oharae?" Date asked.

                She shook her head. "It's because of the Leech attacks. It's the best protection I can offer this many people, so I've been offering it a little early. As far as they know, it's because of the flu being so bad this year."

                "That makes sense," Eiji admitted, trying and failing to get up.

                "You think you can stand for that long?" Date checked.

                "I can have someone bring a chair if you need to sit," Rei offered.

                "I'll be okay," he promised. "I just need a little help right now."

                "Okay," Date agreed. "Hina, you get the other side."

                She nodded, moving over to help lift Eiji to his feet. She tried not to put too much strength into it, but she still lifted him easier than Date could, throwing them both off-balance for a moment. "I'm sorry!"

                "It's okay," Date said. "Let's just find a place for him to sit down."

                "I'm fine," Eiji tried to insist.

                "No, you're not," Date argued. "You just had a major energy crash—if we hadn't made you eat something before coming here, you wouldn't even be conscious." Turning to Rei, he asked, "Is there anything around here that can help raise his blood sugar? That should help him for a little while."

                "I'll get something," she promised.

                As she started to head off, Eiji tried to shift his weight off Hina, but she warned him, "Don't try to stand yet."

                He shook his head. "Ankh's Medal—it's still..."

                "I got him," Date insisted. "Go ahead and get it."

                Cautiously, Hina let go of him and went into the ash circle to pick up the Medal. It was warm, as if alive. But then, Ankh _was_ alive inside there—just not strong enough to revive.

                "Here," she said, walking back over to Eiji.

                He shook his head again. "I don't want him trying that again. If he uses that much energy, I don't think I'll be able to revive him." He reached out carefully and closed her hands around the Medal. "Ankh, you keep her safe now, understand? She's going to try to protect you, but you've got to watch out for her. I don't want to hear any complaints, okay? So when you come back, I'll get you some ice pops again." He was smiling now as he looked at Hina. Despite everything, she found herself having to match that smile, having to believe that everything would be all right.

                "All right," Date said. "Let's sit you down before you collapse on us again."

                Now, Eiji nodded and went along with him. Hina opened her hands just enough to peer at the cracked Medal before she followed.

 

~~~

 

                The rest of the day was going as normally as could be expected, giving Ami enough chance to help her Leech patients. Those who'd only been drained were recovering on their own with conventional medicine. But for those with the brain lesions, she tried to accelerate their healing with the Mercury Crystal, the source of her powers. But after a while, she was beginning to get a headache from the exertion, and she had to take a break.

                "Dr. Mizuno?" another doctor asked, catching her rubbing her temples. "Are you all right?"

                "I'm fine," she insisted. "Just getting a little tired, that's all."

                He frowned. "It's not that flu, is it?"

                She smiled and shook her head. "No, nothing like that."

                "Well, I'll take over for the new patient anyway," he offered.

                A sense of dread filled her as she asked, "What new patient?"

                He handed over the chart, and as she tried to read it, she found herself squinting from fatigue. "It's Mr. Shimoda's wife—it looks like she caught the same flu he had, only more severe. We're sending her in for a CT scan now. Hopefully, it won't show any lesions, but just to be safe..."

                Ami stared in horror at the information. Energy drain, but her body temperature was high enough that it only just could have happened.

                "About when did she come in?"

                "She was lucky," he admitted. "She must have been on her way to visit her husband when she collapsed. Someone found her on a walk and called for help."

                "Dr. Mizuno, those phlebotomy results are in," a nurse alerted.

                Absently, she nodded and picked them up. She'd forgotten about asking for the additional testing on Eiji. Just as her computer and visor had confirmed, there were still considerable problems that should have kept him in bed—almost the same problems she was seeing in Mrs. Shimoda now.

                "Did you just release that patient?" the other doctor asked cautiously.

                "Into the care of another doctor," she explained. "I wouldn't have allowed it if Dr. Date wasn't his primary physician."

                "All right," he agreed reluctantly. "But from the looks of it..."

                "I know," she insisted. "Dr. Date will ensure he remains on bed rest. I have complete faith in him." She stood up. "But you're right. I may need some rest before taking care of anyone else, so I don't endanger them."

                While she'd never been quite as blunt as Rei could be, sometimes a little directness was helpful. Realizing that what he'd said could be construed as an insult, he backpedaled, protesting, "I didn't..."

                "I know what you meant," she said with a smile. "And thank you for the concern. I'll try not to get sick."

                "Of course," he agreed. "Take care of yourself."

                "I will," she promised.

                She let everyone know she was going home early, gathered her things, and headed out of the hospital. The moment she was out of sight, she transformed into Sailor Mercury and gathered her power.

                "Shine Snow Illusion!"

                Ice crystals formed in the air around her and swirled in place around the hospital. She wasn't trying to generate a full snowstorm—just enough to warn off any Leeches that might be in the area. How one of them could have the strength to attack in the daytime, she didn't yet know.

                But she would soon, and she activated her visor to search for the Leech. Crows flew past, giving her strange false readings, and she almost didn't notice the Leech until it was right on top of her.

                It had manifested in the shadows between buildings, with the rough appearance of a nudibranch, crawling around the ground on tiny cerata. Despite its attack on Mrs. Shimoda, it was still weak. But there was no reason to go easy on it, so she formed a globe of water in her hands and tossed it over with a cry of "Mercury Aqua Mirage!"

                The water encircled the Leech, then blasted at it at high enough pressure to take it apart...normally, at least. Instead, the Leech burst out and leapt toward Ami, giving her barely enough time to dodge and cry, "Shine Snow Illusion!"

                More snowflakes formed around the Leech, but it started to shapeshift, changing the cerata into long, bony spines all around and elongating its tail until it was more fishlike, but with two long, curved, sharp blades in place of the fin. Its torso elongated to become more humanlike, but armless, and its head had whipping tendrils like a sea anemone. As Ami blasted water at it again, the Leech swam up the stream and whipped its tail at her, cutting across her arms as she blocked.

                "How did it get so much energy so fast?" she asked. Her visor read that its energy was increasing exponentially—it would get stronger until nothing could stop it.

                Just like Eiji's, some part of her thought. Had the Leeches been able to do anything with that small taste of power they'd drained from him?

                There was an earpiece attached to her goggles. With a thought, she brought up the number of Date's cell phone and prayed he'd pick up.

 

~~~

 

                Eiji was practically asleep on his feet as the oharae ceremony came to an end, and though he tried not to, he was leaning on Date and Hina more and more. When they finally passed through the circle of reeds, they pulled him aside to sit down.

                "You all right?" Date checked.

                Eiji managed something that looked like a shrug. "I feel almost as bad as when I first came home from Germany." Then, noticing the worry on Hina's face, he insisted, "Almost."

                "You really need to rest," she warned as Date's phone rang.

                "I think so too," he agreed, looking at his phone. "Ami. I'll be right back."

                He walked a few steps away to take the call, and Eiji tried to watch his reaction, but Rei walked over, watching him with concern.

                "Exhausted?" she guessed. He nodded. "You need at least a few hours of rest to help make up for the lost energy. If you'd like, you can stay here."

                He hesitated, but he saw the hurt in her eyes as she waited for a response. He was the only family member she had left that she wanted any kind of relationship with, and his secrets had put that in danger. So carefully, he said, "I just want to be sure it's okay with..."

                Hina understood what he was saying immediately and insisted, "It's okay, Eiji. I can ask Date to take me home now, so you can be with your sister."

                He gave her an apologetic smile. "I keep putting off that promise to study with you."

                "It's okay," she answered, shaking her head. "Dr. Mizuno said you shouldn't be reading or concentrating too much for a while anyway."

                Rei had to smile. "And believe me, that's the hardest thing for Ami to prescribe to anybody." Eiji managed another tired smile and nodded.

                "All right," Date said, walking over. "Ami just called me, said she's calling in sick for the rest of the day. I'm going to pick her up."

                "Can I go with you?" Hina asked. "Eiji's going to stay here for now, and there's really not much I can do, so..."

                Date hesitated, just long enough that Eiji and Rei noticed, but he said, "No, that'll work out. A little out of the way, but not that bad. Anyway, you get some sleep, Hino. I'll make sure she gets home safe, okay?"

                Eiji nodded. "Just be careful. Okay?"

                Date grinned. "Won't be a problem—after all, we're safe in the daytime, right? C'mon, Hina."

                "I'll see you later," she promised.

                Eiji still looked worried as he watched them leave, and on top of it, Hina couldn't help but notice how quickly Date was walking. It was difficult to keep up with him as he made his way to the shop and purchased some omamori and sacred arrows.

                "What's going on?" she asked. "Are you trying to..."

                "Yeah," he admitted. "Hoping these might help hold off the Leeches, even for a little bit."

                Knowing something had to be wrong, Hina pointed out, "But I thought they couldn't do anything in the daytime?"

                "So did I," he said grimly. "But right now, Ami's fighting one of them, and she's running out of energy." He handed Hina half of the omamori and an arrow. "I don't have time to drop you off. I've got to get over there right now. So whatever you do, don't tell your brother or Hino that I'm dragging you into danger, all right?"

                She nodded, holding the amulets in one hand while keeping a firm but careful grip on the Medal in her other. She hoped it would be enough to protect them—she didn't know how she'd explain to Eiji she'd let anything happen to Ankh.

                Date picked up on her fears and warned, "You should be fine if you stay in the car. After all, I'm not about to make you fight, understand?" She managed another nod, and he clapped her on the arm. "Good. Let's go."

                They sped off toward the hospital, where people had collapsed in the streets, and shadowy Leeches were flying around a battle between Sailor Mercury and another Leech, this one better developed by far. Date stopped the car just away from the Leeches and reached toward the backseat.

                "Zombie _mermaids_ now, huh?" he asked.

                "How are you going to help her?" Hina asked.

                "One of these," he admitted, pulling out a Birth Buster. "I don't go anywhere without one of these now. Hina, lock up. Anything gets through, use one of those things."

                She nodded, trying not to hold the arrow so tight she'd break it. Then very quickly, Date burst out of the car and ran toward the battle, shooting at the Leeches.

                "That's right, come this way!" he shouted, luring them away from both Ami and the car. They started to follow, eating up the energy from the Cell Medal blasts and taking solid form. Spines grew, and rippling wings let them hover in the air as they floated toward him, absorbing every blast and adding more to their forms.

                "Date, stop!" Ami cried. "You're feeding them!"

                "Got a plan," he insisted, ceasing fire for a moment.

                The instant the Leeches stopped having energy to absorb, they flew at him, forcing him to duck and roll as he loaded an omamori into the barrel. They came for him again and he fired, the energy destroying the physical form of the amulet but carrying its blessing into the burst that took out three of the Leeches in front of him.

                "Didn't think you'd like that," he said as they screeched and made their way toward him again. But this time, he swung around the other amulets, forcing them to back off. "Not sure how well that purification will keep you off me, but you _definitely_ don't like this, do you?" Sparing a glance in Ami's direction, he saw her dodging another attack, her arms bleeding. "How you hanging in there?"

                "I could use some help," she admitted, barely forcing back the Leech again with snow.

                "Coming your way," he promised, shifting the Birth Buster into Cell Burst mode and loading the arrow. The burst incinerated the arrow but took on its general shape in a blast of white light as it struck the Leech attacking Ami.

                It screeched in pain and fury from the attack, and for a moment, Ami could see a blue light shining in its center. She launched streams of water toward the light, but the shadows quickly covered it up. It started swimming its way forward, slashing back and forth with its tail as it made its way past her to the next available energy source—the car.

                "Hina's in there!" Date warned.

                Ami quickly summoned the Mercury Harp, plucking the strings to summon streams of water. Date threw omamori that way, but it wasn't enough to stop the Leech from making its way to the car, where Hina desperately tried to get to the driver's seat and back it up. She'd barely shifted gears before the Leech leapt onto the hood, draining the battery as it smashed into the windshield with its tail. As the glass splintered, Hina held out the arrow and clung to the omamori and Ankh's Medal, squeezing her eyes shut.

                Another blow with its tail, and the Leech broke through the windshield, spraying Hina with glass. It was now or never, and Date loaded his remaining omamori into the canister of the Birth Buster and fired. Ami gathered all the water she needed and combined it with the snow with a cry of "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

                And inside the car, Hina felt a sudden burst of heat around her as the arrow flew out of her hands and struck the Leech.

                The remaining attacks struck the Leech from behind, and it froze, shattering as the Cell Burst exploded onto it. Slowly, Hina opened her eyes to see the Leech gone, but Date and Ami turning to face down the remaining smaller Leeches. For a moment, she thought she saw a glimmer of light in the air, but it just seemed to be a candroid flying past, and she felt a simultaneous surge of relief and guilt. The candroid was most likely from her brother, keeping an eye on her. No doubt she'd worried him now.

                The Leeches started to back away from the attacks, clearly no longer willing to risk themselves in the light without a stronger one to protect them, and their bodies became less corporeal and finally vanished altogether. The moment they had disappeared, Date and Ami ran over to the car, and Hina fumbled with the locks.

                "You okay?" Date checked.

                She nodded, still trying to shake off her fear. "I'm fine. But the car's dead."

                "I'll get a few candroids," he promised. "They should be able to jumpstart it."

                Though Hina nodded again, she looked around at all of the unconscious people on the streets. Ami was already checking on everyone, looking barely relieved. "Are they..."

                "Drained," she confirmed. "But still alive. There's too many for the hospital to handle right this moment, so I'm going to have to try something."

                Date nodded, then tossed Hina some Cell Medals. "There's a Ride Vendor down the street. Get some candroids. I've got to keep an eye on Ami, okay?"

                She nodded and started to run as Ami clasped her hands together, summoning a blue crystal heart. It shone brightly, summoning glowing blue water droplets and snowflakes around her. They swirled around her before rising into the air and falling gently on the people around them. Slowly, they began to stir and awaken as Ami's transformation ended and she fell into Date's arms.

                Hina ran back over with a few Unagi cans and stared in shock as Date scooped up Ami and carried her back over to the car while the injured civilians began to sit and stand. He placed Ami in the back of the car, then opened up the hood of the car and attached the candroids to the battery.

                "Go ahead and try to start it, all right?" he asked.

                "Okay," she replied. "But what..."

                "The Mercury Crystal," he explained. "Source of Ami's powers. Sailor Moon's the only one who can pull off a healing like that without being as drained, but Ami's been working on her own skills. This, however, is way more than she could handle."

                Hina nodded and climbed inside, glancing back at the unconscious Ami before testing the ignition. Only when Date lowered the hood did she climb back out to let him take over.

                "That should take care of it until we can switch cars at the Foundation," he said. "Harada's there, right?"

                She nodded. "They've got him doing some light security detail with the Ride Vendor platoon. But he doesn't have nearly enough training for..."

                "Don't worry," he assured her. "We're not going to bring him into this fight. I just need him to let us in to get the Birth Driver. We're going to need it, if we're in for another fight like this."

 

~~~

 

                The call had come suddenly, that Date had been shot in the head while providing humanitarian aid in Africa. They'd gotten him stabilized and sent him to Cairo for further treatment, but he'd personally requested for Ami to come out there to check him.

                "I'm sorry," she'd told. "The bullet's lodged in your occipital lobe. It's..."

                "I know," he said. "Keep hearing it. It's a miracle I'm alive."

                She'd smiled. "You're tougher to kill than that. But it's a miracle that you can even see. If it had moved any more to one side or another, it would have destroyed some visual processing centers."

                "So," he answered, "you're just going to have to be careful digging it out."

                "I can't," she argued. "It's too deep. Anything I try would either damage the surrounding tissue, or would move it farther in. It's too risky."

                He gave her a hard stare. "For a Sailor Guardian, I'd think you'd understand risks."

                "I do," she answered, staring back at him evenly. "But I try to minimize those risks by considering other alternatives first."

                "There aren't alternatives," he argued. "It's only a matter of time before this moves down. It'll kill me." She'd looked away, unable to face him. "Ami, you're the best neurosurgeon I know. If there's anyone who can do it, it's you."

                She shook her head. "You're asking me to cut open your skull, reach inside your brain, and remove a piece of metal that's only just being held in place by your own brain tissue. Even if I _can_ do it, it doesn't mean I _should_. I could kill you."

                "So I die on the operating table, or I die from the bullet working its way through," he said. "I don't see much of a difference."

                "I do!" she cried. "And I can't take that chance."

                It had been silent then too, until finally, he said, "If you won't, I'll find someone who will."

                She sighed. "You already said..."

                "I said you were the best neurosurgeon _I know_ ," he repeated. "Not the best in the world. There's always someone who'll take a risk if you pay them enough."

                "It's unethical," she pointed out.

                "It's my life," he said. "A doctor has to respect their patient's life. If they don't do everything in their power to save them, then they don't deserve to call themselves doctors."

               She felt someone trying to pick her up, and she started to open her eyes. She saw Date, assisted by Hina and an unfamiliar young man, trying to get her out of the back of the wrecked car.

                "Ami," Date said warmly. "Feeling any better?"

                "I'll let you know," she promised, taking his hand and letting him help her out. "Where..."

                "This is the Kougami Foundation," the other man said, bowing. "Hina said you guys ran into trouble."

                "Ami, meet Harada Takuya," Date introduced. "He's a friend of Hina and Eiji's."

                Ami managed a careful bow. "I guess you wanted to switch cars?"

                "And pick up that thing I mentioned earlier," he said, holding up the Birth Driver.

                Hina turned to Takuya. "Thanks for your help."

                "No problem," he insisted. "How's Eiji?"

                "Doing better," she admitted. "He still needs a lot of rest, though, so right now he's staying at his sister's." Takuya looked apprehensive—Ami could tell right away he knew of Eiji's family and past—but Hina insisted, "She doesn't have anything to do with all that."

                "Okay," he agreed, still reluctant but a little more relieved. "But what happened? All you said was he got hurt."

                "Remind us to tell you everything one of these days," Date said, taking Ami's arm to steady her as he headed off. "Right now, we've got to get going. C'mon, Hina."

                "Thanks again," she said, bowing quickly before following them to a truck.

                Ami took the front seat and leaned against the headrest as Hina climbed into the back, asking, "Are you okay?"

                "I will be later," she admitted. "This is why I need to be careful about my healing."

                "Those people who collapsed..." Hina said.

                "They'll be fine," Ami insisted with a smile. "I accelerated their healing, instead of trying to just infuse them with energy." As she closed her eyes, she admitted, "I wish there was more I could have done, though. All of the patients still at the hospital are going to need regular medicine instead of healing."

                "You get some rest," Date warned. "We're gonna drop Hina off, then I'll take you home, okay?"

                She nodded gently and dozed the rest of the way, waking only when they reached Hina's apartment complex.

                "Make sure you tell your brother to lock up," Date advised as she started to get out of the car. "With those Leeches attacking in the daylight, we don't need them trying to come for you guys at night."

                "I will," Hina promised. "Hope you feel better, Dr. Mizuno."

                "Thank you," she replied. "And you can call me Ami." Hina smiled and nodded. "Take care."

                Hina nodded as she ran off for the building. Date waited to make sure she got in the door safely before saying, "You know that whole thing Eiji told you? About Foundation X and his kidnapping?"

                "Yes," Ami answered. "Why?"

                Date sighed as he started to drive off. "I hate saying it, but most of what he told you was a lie." She stared at him in concern, and he continued, "I talked to him and convinced him it was okay to tell you the truth, if only because I really think you're the best person to take care of him after I get back to humanitarian stuff."

                She shifted so she could look directly at him. Whatever had happened, it sounded serious—far more than Eiji had even said.

                "It's true that Foundation X tried to kidnap him for experimentation," he admitted. "But they failed. What really happened to him is far worse, and for his sake, we've agreed to keep it a secret. You can't even tell his sister. If too many people find out about this, it's possible someone will use this information against him."

                Hesitantly, she nodded as Date began to explain everything.

 

~~~

 

                The lights were off inside the apartment, and for a moment, Hina was worried. But a moment later, they turned on, and Shingo smiled at her.

                She sighed in relief. "Big Brother, you scared me."

                "Sorry," he apologized. "I forgot to turn the lights on for you. I should have done that earlier."

                "It's okay," she insisted, making her way inside and setting the omamori on the table, next to her flowers. "I don't know how well they'll protect against the Leeches now. I feel better having these."

                Shingo nodded, but he didn't make any move to come near her. Something seemed off, and she glanced over at the family shrine. The cabinet looked like it had been moved, and the heavy butsudan itself wasn't quite in the right place on top of it.

                "Did you move the shrine?" she asked.

                "Earlier," he said. "I had a theory."

                She felt her heart skip. "What kind of theory?"

                She kept her hands on the omamori, and Shingo never took his eyes off her, instead tilting his head in exactly the way the Leeches did. Taking no chances, she hurled the omamori his way. They hit, but nothing happened—not like they'd done to the Leeches. With no expression, he walked forward, stepping on the amulets until he snatched her arm.

                "This theory," he said. "Human blessings do not harm humans. It is the shadow alone that is harmed by the light."

                "Who are you?" she demanded, keeping the movements of her free arm hidden. "What have you done to my brother?"

                "I'm still your brother," he insisted. "Which means I wonder why you're not fighting me with all the strength I know you have."

                Hina grabbed the flower vase and smashed it against Shingo, throwing him to the ground. For a moment, she stopped in horror, watching him bleed on the floor, and she dropped to her knees, trying to help.

                "Big Brother!" she cried. "Big Brother, please—can you hear me?"

                He opened his eyes suddenly and seized her wrist. As she reached for something that she could use to fight him off—a piece of glass, anything—she felt one of the flower stems and grabbed it as the rush of heat came upon her again. The flower ignited as she swung it toward him, and Shingo let go of her immediately and backed away.

                His expression was blank, but he paused as if in fear of her and the flower burning like a candle in her hand. It was the second time this fire had come to her aid, and she remembered the promise Eiji had asked of Ankh—to protect her while she protected him. Tears came to her eyes, but she grabbed the rest of the flowers and ran out of the apartment.

                It was late enough that the sun was beginning to set, and the shadows were growing long. Leeches emerged from their hiding places and began to come for her, but she swung the flowers around—burning or not—and they kept their distance.

                She had to find some way of getting to the shrine, or at least buy time to call Date to come back. Every time a petal fell, she felt that much further from help, so as she swung wildly, she begged, "Ankh, please." Another surge of flame wrapped around her and lit the rest of the bouquet, a blazing torch in the darkness.

                But there were too many Leeches to fight off, and as she tried to back away, she stepped on something small and hard with a crunch. She looked down at her feet and screamed at the sight of dozens of fallen crows—dead or unconscious—all victims of the Leeches. She could still hear some of them weakly crying out and saw the Leeches moving for them again. With desperate swings, she tried to scare them away from the birds, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't long before something metallic hit her hands with a screech and knocked the flowers to the ground.

                The Taka candroid returned to Shingo as he walked past the Leeches to her, avoiding the flowers as the flames burned out. He looked down at the crow at her feet and noted, "Those you call Leeches tried to use them as their agents before deciding I was more suitable. One of them tried to fight for the others, but it seems you've taken it down more effectively than we could."

                He took a Medal and flung it in the direction of one of the Leeches. It took in the Medal and began to shapeshift, taking on the heavy appearance of a hippopotamus, but with a long, thick tail that wrapped around her, squeezing her arms close to her so she couldn't fight back. There was a slight burnt odor coming off of the shadows around her, like smoke.

                "There's too much protection on you for them to take your energy," Shingo noted. "But with these Medals, they don't need to."

                "What do you want?" she asked again.

                "You know," he said, and she suddenly felt cold. "One way or another, we will have Hino Eiji."


	5. Where Shadows Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Leeches take Shingo and Hina hostage, offering an ultimatum to Eiji: Surrender and they will not be harmed. Continue fighting, and they will break their minds. But his friends aren't about to let him give up, and unexpected guardians come to their aid.

                Eiji was six years old the last time he'd gone through a formal purification ritual. He remembered finding a dying crow during one of his visits to the shrine and bringing it to Rei in the hopes she could help it.

                But Rei hadn't understood what he was trying to say, and she screamed at him, "What did you do?"

                Eiji backed up suddenly, crying, "I didn't do it!"

                The yelling drew their grandfather's attention, and he walked over asking, "What happened?"

                "Grandpa, look!" Eiji insisted.

                Where Rei had been angry, their grandfather was sympathetic, taking the bird from him and softly explaining, "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do."

                "But..." Eiji argued.

                "I'll contact somebody who will know what to do," he promised. "But unfortunately, death is part of life."

                He'd patted Eiji's head then and asked Rei to help purify them. It was too long ago for Eiji to remember how it had gone, but he remembered the way Rei had continued to blame him after harae was finished and the bird had been taken away.

                "I didn't do anything!" he tried to tell her, tearing up.

                "Rei, calm down," her grandfather urged.

                "No!" she yelled. "You're telling me to try and form a bond with him, and I'm done. I don't want anything to do with him, or any of the others! You can tell Father he can keep out of my life!"

                He remembered the sting of those words and how he ran off crying, hiding before his grandfather could catch him.

                "Eiji?"

                The voice wasn't in his dreams this time. He slowly opened his eyes to see Rei looking over him, looking worried.

                "Sis?" he asked, confused.

                "You were crying in your sleep," she explained.

                He nodded. "That happens sometimes. Probably should have let Date get my medicine when he offered."

                He rubbed his eyes and started to sit up, but he couldn't make it all the way. Rei helped him and asked, "What medicine?"

                Now that the grogginess was fading, he realized he might have said too much, and he hesitated before admitting, "I've been taking something to help with the nightmares. And some of my...well, my issues."

                She didn't say anything, only watched with sympathy, and he sighed as he found himself admitting, "I've been seeing a therapist, the past few months. I got diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder. Most of the time, I've got it under control, but with everything that happened in September, I got triggered badly, so they put me on medication for a while until everything's back under control."

                To his surprise, she smiled and said, "I'm glad you're finally getting help. There was only so much I could do for you when you came home. I'd never wished more that Grandpa was still here."

                He nodded, smiling sadly. "He always knew exactly how to make me feel better."

                "All those trips he'd take you on," she mused. "Sometimes, he'd be gone for months at a time, but he always made sure that when you had time off school to take you somewhere."

                "He offered to take you too," he reminded her. "You never wanted to go outside of Japan. Was that because you were Sailor Mars?"

                She shook her head. "By then, things had calmed down enough that we were mostly retired. I just never was one for traveling. I'd go on retreats, but that was it. I preferred staying home with my friends."

                He nodded, understanding. "Are they still around?"

                "Ami hasn't been back from overseas for very long," she admitted, "and I'm not sure if she'll stay with this hospital or find something better. Mako has her flower shop and bakery, but she's not in Azabu anymore, and neither are Usagi and Mamoru. Minako, however, decided to go to England, so now, she's the farthest of all of us." And yet, she smiled. "We're like scattered flowers, but that doesn't mean we're not still connected to the same tree."

                He smiled. "I know what you mean."

                Carefully, he started to stand up, even though she warned, "You should stay in bed."

                He shook his head and stood completely. "I'm feeling a lot better than before. And if I stay lying down too long, I'm going to go crazy. I just need a short walk."

                She was skeptical, but she followed him to the door. "Are you sure you're okay?"

                He stopped the moment he looked out the door to the courtyard, and his voice was full of dread as he asked, "Is that Athena?"

                Rei pulled the door the rest of the way open and saw a crow lying injured on the ground, next to a can.

                "Athena!" she cried.

                She raced out to pick up her bird, and Eiji followed a little more slowly behind.

                "Her wing's broken," she noticed, but Eiji was already taking off the bandage around his head. "Eiji, there's a first aid kit!"

                "She needs it now, right?" he asked, holding the gauze on the back of his head in place. "It was only holding this anyway."

                Reluctantly, she nodded and took the bandage, wrapping it around Athena's wing as Eiji crumpled up his gauze dressing. He saw the candroid that Athena had been carrying, and he picked it up carefully.

                "I don't know how she could have carried that with this kind of injury," Rei confessed.

                Eiji nodded as he opened the candroid and caught the mechanical grasshopper, which started blinking and beeping. He activated the transmitter and immediately heard Shingo's voice asking, "Eiji, are you there?"

                "Shingo!" he called out. "Are you okay—you sent your message with Athena, and she's hurt."

                "Eiji!" That was Hina's voice, some distance away from Shingo, and he felt his blood run cold.

                "What happened to Hina?"

                "She's fine, for now," Shingo insisted, but Eiji felt far from reassured. "I need you to come here now, alone."

                "No, Eiji, don't!" Hina screamed, and she suddenly went quiet, as if gagged or attacked.

                "What..." Eiji started. Shingo would never act like this about Hina. It couldn't be him, which meant the both of them were in danger now. "Who are you, really? What happened to Hina and Shingo?"

                "We're fine," the voice that sounded like Shingo said. "But I can't promise anything if you don't come here as fast as you can."

                "This is Sailor Mars," Rei said coolly, taking the candroid from him. "What have you done to them?"

                "He'll see when he gets here," he promised as the line went dead.

                Eiji was frozen for a moment in shock and horror, but when he tried to rise to his feet, Rei took his arm and pulled him back down.

                "Stay here with Athena," she warned. "I'll go save them." He shook his head, barely able to speak. "I know it's a trap, but I have Sailor Moon's disguise pen, so I can make them think you've gone alone and figure out some way of making it look like I'm still following, so they don't get too suspicious. They have to know I'd never let you go on your own."

                "I'm going," he insisted.

                "It's too dangerous," she argued. "You've barely got any energy..."

                "That's _why_ I have to go!" he said. "Hina and Shingo are in danger because of me. Because I let Shingo take the Medals even though I knew it was too risky."

                "Eiji," she reasoned, "he knew it was a risk too. But he tried to protect you."

                "I'm not supposed to be the one who needs protecting!" he yelled. Rei watched him in shock, barely able to understand what she saw in her brother now. He looked down at his hands, realizing that they were beginning to tremble, and he clenched his fists. "The whole reason I became OOO in the first place was so I could reach out and help others in a way I never could before. You can't understand what it's like to watch people die and be completely unable to save them. I know I'm not strong enough. But if I don't try, it'll be worse than failing them."

                His body was running entirely on fear and adrenaline now, and there was no way he'd be able to keep it up. There was still a chance to talk him down, to reason with him to stay here and coordinate while she took care of everything. But she could sense some kind of presence, burning its way through the protections on the shrine, and in the time it took her to stop and try to locate it, Eiji took off.

                "Stop!" she cried, reaching for an ofuda. "Don't move—there's..."

                Her warning didn't come in time. A huge Leech appeared in the sky, insectoid, with tattered, dark wings. It swooped down and hit an invisible barrier, screeching as it burned up with fire and light. But within the darkness was a green Core Medal, and enough of the shadows gathered around it as it broke through the barrier, dripping down onto Eiji.

                "Hold still!" she warned, igniting her ofuda.

                "I don't know if that'll work!" he insisted, tensing as the liquid darkness spread around him. He dropped to the ground, the shadows condensing, even as Rei's ofuda hit them. The blessings from purification were resisting the Leech, but they weren't necessarily protecting Eiji, as he choked on the acrid smoke from its damage and regeneration.

                Rei stopped trying to throw the ofuda off and ran over to his side, trying to pull the darkness off of him as it condensed, restraining Eiji further.

                "The Medal," he gasped.

                "I don't see it!" she cried, continuing to tear through the darkness.

                The shadows solidified, blocking her out. The Leech took the shape of a silverfish, its long appendages wrapping around Eiji and locking him in place underneath it. Its antennae extended, forming flexible blades, and lashed out at Rei to force her back. Spines burst out of its back and spread shadows between them, forming grotesque butterfly wings that flapped quickly as it brought Eiji up and away from the shrine.

                Rei transformed and chased after it, but away from the protection of the shrine, there were many more Leeches—small and large alike—to toss her aside and slow her down. They had planned this—said everything necessary to make Eiji leave the center of the barrier and go where he'd be easier to grab. It was a disturbingly human strategy.

                She lost sight of the Leech carrying Eiji, but it didn't matter. She knew exactly where it was headed, and there was somebody close enough to intercept.

 

~~~

 

                Ami was silent as Date finished his story. Hearing no response, he grimaced and said, "I know, it's hard to believe. But we had some time-travelers we know confirm it."

                She shook her head. "The time travel is the easiest part to accept. But those Medals?"

                He nodded. "We never found out what happened to them. It's possible that they were taken by whoever treated Hino. But it's also just as likely that Foundation X got them, and that that's why Solaris left him there."

                She sighed. The suggestion was terrifying. "And the Super Medals?"

                Now, he shook his head. "The President took them and locked them up somewhere. Wouldn't tell anyone where. I think he was afraid Hino'd find out and try to use them again and wind up with the same thing happening to him again."

                "This is probably for the best," she agreed. "And you think that letting anyone else know about this could cause others to try to use Eiji to replicate the experiment?"

                "Or anyone else, as Hino himself can tell you," he explained. "The King used him because he had the _best_ results, not because he had the only results. Hino's own desire brought the Medals to full power, but from the sound of it, it still might work if you sacrificed an entire village."

                "No wonder he was afraid to face Rei," she realized. "So he's been recovering all this time?"

                "Doing better," he admitted. "But this just set him months back. He was hoping to be back to traveling by April so he could start that project in Germany, but it might take him a little longer now."

                Ami shook her head. "It usually takes only a few days to recover from this kind of energy drain. The concussion, longer, but if he can keep out of trouble..."

                Date gave her a look of pure cynicism. "This is Hino. He doesn't know _how_ to stay out of trouble."

                As if taking that as a cue, Ami's communicator went off. She flipped it open and asked, "Rei, is everything okay?"

                "A Leech got Eiji," she said. "It broke right through the protections on the shrine. They've got his friends, and I think it's bringing him to them."

                As Date made a hard turn, Ami promised, "We're not too far away, so we should be there faster than you. Make sure you have plenty to fight them with—reinforcing your attacks with omamori or arrows should do the trick..."

                "Shit!" Date yelled as he slammed on the brake.

                Ami jerked forward, but the seatbelt locked tight, holding her in place. She was about to ask Date why he'd stopped so suddenly when she saw a virtual wall of Leeches approaching them. Most were similar to the normal type—small, still feeding on energy in order to solidify their form. But there were a few of the larger ones too—three of the fishlike creatures.

                "Tell her we'll be late," he warned. "We've got some zombie mermaids to fight."

                Automatically, she started, "Date, they're not..." before shaking her head. It was a pointless battle. "Rei, we'll be there as soon as we can. The Leeches are trying to cut us off."

                "All right, but hurry," she insisted.

                "We will," Ami promised.

                She started to get out of the car, but Date put up a hand to stop her. "What do you think you're doing?"

                "Fighting," she insisted. "They may be strong, but they're still somewhat vulnerable to cold."

                "Yeah, and you're not going to manage much in the shape you're in," he pointed out. Holding up the Birth Driver, he said, "You tell me where to hit. I got this."

                She smiled as she nodded and activated her visor. "Avoid using any beam weapons on the smaller ones, if you've got any. They'll just eat up your energy."

                "Got it," he answered, strapping on the Driver and grabbing a tank of Medals out of the back.

                "I'm reading a lot of energy on the..." He looked at her expectantly, and she sighed, "the mermaids." A grin before he activated a Gorilla and Batta candroid. "They're constantly feeding off of something—I noticed it earlier. It's possible you might be able to overload them."

                "All right, time to get to work," he said, flipping a Medal into the air. "Henshin!"

                Energy encapsulated him for the transformation, attracting the smaller Leeches toward him. Ami saw their pattern change and warned, "They're coming for you now—don't let them get close!" but Date completely ignored the order and ran in swinging, Crane Arm already equipped. There were no significant drops in energy for the system for now, so Ami just sighed and shook her head. Some things never changed.

 

~~~

 

                Shingo looked up expressionlessly as the Leech returned and dropped Eiji in a semi-conscious heap on the ground. He walked over and called out, "Wake up." When Eiji didn't respond, he kicked him in the chest, shouting with no emotion, "Wake up!" This time, Eiji started coughing and brought his arms to his chest to block.

                "Stop it, Big Brother!" Hina cried. "He's hurt enough!"

                She struggled to try to break free of the Leech's hold, but it only squeezed around her tighter. It was rare that anything was strong enough to hurt her, and she screamed out in pain.

                The scream brought Eiji to full awareness and he looked up. "Hina?"

                "Eiji!" she cried. "Are you okay?"

                He didn't answer—only stared in horror at the Leech restraining her and the blank look on Shingo's face as he stood over him. Everything fell into place, and he looked over at the Leech and demanded, "What have you done to Shingo?"

                "We think with one mind, but you cannot hear it," Shingo said. "So a voice is necessary. I am the voice of all of us. I have opened my mind to their voice, and theirs becomes my own."

                Eiji desperately shook his head. "Shingo, you're under mind control. You have to fight it, you..."

                "You know very well what happens should a human mind try to resist the whole," he said. "This was the first time a human lowered their defenses and let our mind in. I am still the one called Izumi Shingo, your friend." And now a nod toward Hina. "And your brother. As are all of the rest of us. Our minds have become one."

                "No," Hina breathed.

                Eiji tried to pick himself up, barely making it into a sitting position as he asked, "What do you want?"

                "Your help. My..." Here, he paused, as if the hive mind was searching his mind for the best word before he continued with "My associates, as you might call them, have gotten a taste of the energy inside the Core Medals. They've even begun using them themselves. But there are not enough Medals for all of the Leeches. But we remember that your transformation releases a large amount of energy."

                "No!" Hina cried. "You can't!"

                "You'll be taken care of, of course," Shingo said. "From me, the Leeches know what is necessary to sustain a human and produce optimum amounts of energy. You will be used as needed, with time to recover between transformations. It will completely eliminate the need to feed from other energy sources."

                For a moment, Eiji couldn't speak, but he felt his heart pounding as Shingo held out the Driver calmly, as if he—they—hadn't just asked him to become roughly what the King had tried to make of him and what Foundation X or others might try to do next. To coerce him into becoming an energy source (or a god, or a weapon) in exchange for others' lives.

                As his eyes drifted toward Hina, Shingo noticed and looked toward the Leech holding her, giving a silent command. Its tail reached farther out, enough to turn her around as it formed long tusks on its face. Hina felt them press against her head and the intense psychic pressure of it trying to make its way into her mind, and she screamed in terror and agony.

                "Stop!" Eiji begged.

                "If you agree to become our energy source, we'll let her go," Shingo promised.

                Eiji wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead, he turned to the Leech holding Hina and pleaded, "Let them _both_ go and you can have me."

                "You can only choose the one," Shingo insisted.

                "You can't do this to them!" he cried. "You want _me._ This is the whole reason you're doing this—why get them involved at all?"

                "One or the other," Shingo insisted. "You can't save both."

                The Leech pressed harder against Hina's forehead. It was hard to believe she could scream any louder, but she did, tears streaming down her face. Anything more would cause brain damage.

                Shingo jerked for a second, and his voice became flatter, thicker as he said, "We only use this one as our voice to you. But if this is the one you want to save, we will return it to you and see if the other can survive the merging of minds."

                There was no choice. Eiji grabbed the Driver and said, "Let Hina go."

                The Leech dropped her, and she stumbled before falling to her knees. Eiji started to move to go to her, but the Leech-controlled Shingo stood in his way. Watching her clutch her head, he shouted, "I already said I'd go with you! You've got plenty of time. Just let me do this one last thing for myself!"

                A slight pause before Shingo stepped aside enough for Eiji to pull himself over. There wasn't much strength left in his body, and he was running purely on terror now, but he took Hina's arms and softly insisted, "Focus on me, okay? It's over."

                There was still a stabbing pain in Hina's skull, but the sound of Eiji's voice was enough to calm her down. She opened her eyes to see him sitting in front of her, just as scared as she was. "Eiji?" He nodded, and at once, she realized the deal he must have made. "No, you can't..."

                He tried to smile, but there was too much fear and regret to make it any more reassuring. "It was the only way. I wanted to try to save your brother too, but I could only choose one."

                She lowered her hands and grabbed his wrists, tightly enough that he winced. "You can't! You can't do this for me..."

                He shook his head. "I can't let you get hurt because of me."

                Hina tried to argue with him, but Shingo grabbed him roughly by the back of his shirt, insisting, "Your time is up."

                "All right," Eiji agreed, turning around. "You'll want a combo, right? For the best effect?"

                "Don't!" she cried.

                But he already was insisting, "TaJaDor's the best to start with. I think it resonates with me better."

                It was a lie, and Hina knew it. TaJaDor affected Eiji just as badly as any other combo besides TaToBa and Super TaToBa, both specifically designed not to have that kind of effect. But Shingo paused, as if he wasn't quite sure and the Leeches were trying to search his memories and trying to figure out if there was any truth to it.

                In their final battle, Ankh had trusted Eiji with his Medal to become TaJaDor. The form meant a lot to him. It was enough to believe. He had a plan, and that gave her a small measure of hope.

                Shingo took the Medal case and withdrew three red Medals. Eiji took them, stumbling for a moment as he stood up. Hina reached out and helped him steady himself, and he smiled at her.

                "If this blows up, I'll need you to catch me, okay?"

                She was sure it was a warning, sounding just innocuous enough that the Leeches wouldn't catch on. She nodded, confident she understood his plan.

                He slid the Medals into place, and held the Scanner carefully, steeling himself with every breath, knowing that if anything went wrong, it would all be over. The Leeches gathered around him, and with a deliberate cry of "Henshin!" he scanned the Medals.

                He closed his eyes as the energy swirled around him, as normal. The Leeches reached out to it, much more gently than before as they took in the energy, but he felt the disruption of power rocking him anyway. He just had to withstand it a little longer...

                "Eiji!"

                The voice was Rei's, and he opened his eyes to see her racing forward, flinging burning ofuda. Shingo turned toward her, and the Medal-type Leeches tore away from the group to attack her.

                Now.

                Eiji willed the energy toward himself, completing the transformation. The Leeches started to back away as the temperature around him rose and flames ignited. He spread his wings and blasted the fires their way, propelling himself back away from them and toward Hina.

                She grabbed him before he could fall, and as the Leeches came at them again, he held her close and wrapped his wings around her, shielding them with flame. She could hear him breathing heavily from the exertion, but he didn't let go.

                The Leeches were cautious to approach the flames, but those that had already absorbed some of the combo's energy were trying to break through. Rei saw this and drew a large circle of fire, summoning glowing and burning Buddhist symbols that projected rings of flame.

                "Burning Mandala!"

                The rings cut through the Leeches surrounding Eiji, allowing him to open his wings and release a burst of fire from the TaJa Spinner on his arm. This attack took more out of him, and as more Leeches came for him, Rei launched more rings their way.

                "Get out of here!" she cried. "I'll take care of this until Ami gets here!"

                He nodded breathlessly and put his arms around Hina. She reached to put her arms carefully around his neck when he warned, "Whatever happens, don't let go."

                The warning sent ice through her veins, and she nodded as she tightened her grip just slightly. Once he was sure she was holding on, he spread his wings again and took to the air. The Leeches tried to follow, but Rei released arrows of fire in his wake, cutting some of them off. They turned their attention back toward her, and she crossed her arms in front of herself.

                "Now that he's gone, I can use this one. Mars Snake Fire!"

                The flames gathered together into a long, hissing snake that coiled itself around the largest of the Medal-type Leeches, surrounding it entirely in fire. The Leech was forced to eject the Medal, but before Rei could catch it, one of the half-dead crows flew up and caught it in its beak.

                In the firelight, she could see all of the crows, those dead still lying on the sidewalk and those still living rising and trying to surround her. Turning in horror to Shingo, she demanded, "What have you done?"

                "We needed a method to get past your protections and to move around in the light," he said, his voice thick from the Leeches' control again. "They allowed us to find this one, just before the outsider fought them."

                "Athena," she realized, leveling her bow at Shingo.

                They let him come just enough to the forefront again to insist, "You won't. You care for these birds, and your brother cares for me. You will not destroy what either of you care for."

                She lowered her bow, closing her eyes. He was right. She couldn't do that to him, not when Eiji and Hina would want her to stop at nothing to save him.

                The Leeches were taking flight, going after Eiji. Those still on the ground were coming for her, believing that she wouldn't attack the birds around her.

                She could hear a voice in her mind, one she hadn't heard in many years, insisting, "Princess Mars, yours is the planet of war. If you must pray to it, your prayer must be in blood!"

                "Phobos, Deimos, Athena, forgive me," she prayed, holding out her hand. "Mars Crystal Power!"

                Power gathered around her hand, and all at once, the Leeches realized they'd made a mistake. They drew Shingo away as the energy engulfed the area and she cried, "Sailor Planet Attack!"

 

~~~

 

                The sun had set, and above the city lights, there was barely anything to hold back the Leeches. Even with the skies mostly clear and the starlight and moonlight raining down on them, they'd gotten enough of TaJaDor's energy that they could keep up, taking on vaguely avian forms. Their bodies were too long, and their heads looked too human—skulls with beaks that looked uncomfortably like a plague doctor's mask. Their wings resembled open ribcages with long bones in place of feathers, and their tails and feet had blended together into a long, flexible talon that shot out at Eiji, grabbing him by his legs.

                Hina screamed instinctively as she felt them getting pulled away, but Eiji moved one of his hands down and scanned the Medals, transforming his own feet into talons so he could break free. One foot, then the other with a cry of pain and exhaustion as he kicked flames at the Leeches before propelling himself forward.

                They wouldn't let him escape, however, and they spread out their wings further, flapping hard enough to disrupt his flight. Their necks extended so they could whip at him with their heads, trying to tear into his armor with their beaks. They couldn't, but with each attack, Eiji tightened his grip on Hina and breathed more raggedly.

                "I can't keep this up," he admitted. "Hold on—we're going down."

                She nodded and tried to hold back a scream as he plunged, barely managing to slow his descent before they could hit the ground. He turned over, and she realized in horror he was going to take the brunt of the landing so she wouldn't get hurt, so she tried to pull his head up, toward hers. But she pulled enough that his upper body started to curl in on her, preventing him from slowing their descent any further. They hit the ground hard enough to break his transformation, and for a moment, all she could do was lie on top of him, frozen in fear as she watched his face contort with pain.

                The Leeches found them quickly and dove to retake them. Hina looked up just in time to see them crash against a barrier of flames, spread out like wings trying to shield them.

                "Ankh," she realized.

                But it wasn't enough—the Leeches were beginning to break through. She slid off of Eiji and put his arm around her neck, pulling with all of her strength to get him up. It had been a long time since she'd last had to carry him home, and it was harder than ever with the Leeches trying to attack them.

                "Eiji, please," she begged. "You have to stay awake. You have to help me."

                He was barely responsive, so with a great deal of regret, she reached down and pinched him on the side, hard enough that he cried out.

                "Please!" she cried. "I can't do this alone!"

                The momentary pain was enough to wake him. He nodded and weakly said, "Okay."

                The flames continued to shield them as she helped him walk across the streets of Azabu, desperately trying to reach the shrine. Part of her knew there was no way they would make it; Ankh's fire wasn't strong enough to keep the Leeches off of them for long, she was still shaken from the psychic attack, and no matter how many times she pinched him, Eiji kept drifting in and out of consciousness, slowing them down.

                It was after another wake-up that he moaned, "Hina, leave me."

                "No," she insisted, refusing to listen to the voice inside her that said it was hopeless. "We just have to buy enough time for Rei or Dr. Ami to get to us." He shook his head. "Eiji, please. We can make it."

                "They don't want you," he said. "They want me. They'll leave you alone. If I go, maybe I can still convince them to let Shingo go."

                A familiar coldness gripped her heart, as tightly and as painfully as the Leeches. "You can't sacrifice yourself for him." He didn't answer, but he was still awake, and she pleaded, "Please! I know you did all you could to save him. But I also know he wouldn't want you to let the Leeches do this to you just to save him."

                "Not just him," he argued. "Maybe I can convince them..." He started to fall, and she pulled him back over to her; it occurred to her suddenly that he was trying to fight her, but since he didn't have the strength to push back, he was trying to get her to let go. "Maybe I can get them to leave everyone alone."

                She held onto him all the tighter, even through his gasps of pain. "That's what the King said too. You can't let anyone use you like this! You're too important."

                "You're important too," he said, looking directly at her, and she felt a hot blush rise to her cheeks. "Everyone else too. If giving up means everyone else gets to live..."

                Frustrated, she pinched him harder, and as he cried out again, she insisted, "Stop trying to find something to die for and find something to live for! Eiji, I..."

                She stopped herself before she could say the forbidden words. If she said them, there was no telling if it would stop him or make him all the more convinced he had to do it. He looked at her in surprise—whether because of what she _had_ said or what she hadn't, she wasn't sure.

                "Hina..." he started.

                A fierce blow against Ankh's flames shattered the barrier and sent them flying. Hina hit the ground first, holding tight to Eiji so he wouldn't fall forward and hit his head again. He was still conscious and looked over at her with concern.

                "Are you okay?" he checked.

                She nodded, tears in her eyes. Why? Why did he have to worry about her first instead of himself? He was the one who was hurt and drained, not her.

                She could feel him trying to pull himself away to defend her, but he couldn't get up. She pressed him back down and sat up herself, staring into the shadows and trying not to let her fear show as she shouted, "You can't have him!"

                One of the Leeches reached out its talon and closed it around her, trying to pull her away, but she grabbed Eiji's hand. Another Leech tried to take him, but she held his hand tightly, until she was sure she would break it, and they couldn't tear them apart. The burning smell from the Leeches increased, whether from the oharae or whatever protections Ankh was trying to place on her, and it was enough that she almost passed out, but she wouldn't let go.

                The wind started to pick up and swirl around them. A voice screamed, "Coronis Tornado!" and the winds spun violently, cut through with energy that slashed through the Leeches. Hina kept hold of Eiji's hand desperately as the Leeches dropped them and squeezed her eyes shut as the tornado whipped around them, trying to tear apart the Leeches entirely.

                "Insects!" the voice yelled, her voice full of venom. "Worms! Have you grown so jealous of those living in the light that you have forgotten your place?"

                Hina looked up to see a small woman, shorter than her, standing before them, black eyes flaring with anger and dark, curly hair flying wildly in the wind. Like Mars and Mercury, she had a short skirt and a collar reminiscent of a sailor uniform. Unlike them, however, her uniform was backless, two straps holding a front that looked vaguely like dark grey wings crossed over her body. Her choker bore a black star, and instead of a tiara, another black star was in the center of her forehead, with a feather on either side. One arm, however, appeared to be broken, wrapped in a bandage that seemed far too small.

                Eiji saw the bandage and asked, "Athena?"

                The woman turned to him and offered a gentle smile, completely at odds with her warlike demeanor.

                "You once saved me when I was small and helpless," she said. "It is long past time that I returned the favor."

                He shook his head. "I don't understand."

                "You will," she promised, stepping past them to confront the Leeches. "I serve as priestess to the planet of war. I am Sailor Coronis. In the names of Coronis and Mars, I will destroy you!"


	6. A Priestess of Mars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sailor Coronis helps fend off the Leeches, but Eiji is fading fast. While they, Hina, and Rei regroup, Date and Ami try to figure out a new plan of attack against the Leeches, the Medals, and Shingo.

                A streak of red fire lit up the sky over the battle, and Date paused only briefly in-between pile-driving a Leech to look up at it.

                "That's Hino," he realized in dread. "Damn it, I told him not to use a combo!"

                "What's wrong?" Ami asked.

                "A lot," he admitted. "How's my energy look?"

                "Still holding stable," she said. "They don't seem interested in the Medals."

                "Wonder why," he commented as another of his mermaids tried to take off his head with its tail.

                He ducked and rolled backwards on the Caterpillar Leg, crushing a few of the smaller Leeches. Another swing with the Crane Arm took out some more small ones, but the big ones kept coming.

                Something showed up on Ami's visor, and she warned, "Date, there's another powerful one coming up fast."

                "How fast can mermaids swim?" he asked. "She's not part-sailfish, is she?"

                It hit him suddenly, and it was too difficult to correct his landing with the heavy Caterpillar Legs, so he had to detach them.

                "That wasn't a sailfish," he noticed.

                The new Leech was shaped like a large cat, hissing at him as it pounced again. He whipped the Crane Arm at it again, but as he pulled back, a bigger Leech resembling a buffalo of some type hooked the cable on its horns and ripped it right out.

                "They're not all aquatic," Ami realized. "I thought they shapeshifted to specialize against a particular enemy, but you've got at least a third of them aquatic, a third feline, and a third..."

                "Heavy-hitters," he agreed. He switched to Drill Arm and shoved it into another Leech, then backed up to survey the battle. "Damn. Too many of these guys."

                "We can retreat," Ami warned, climbing into the driver's seat.

                "Need me to make an opening?" he asked.

                "Please," she insisted, putting the truck in gear.

                He inserted another Medal into the Driver and activated Cutter Wing. As Ami drove up behind him, he threw the wing, slicing through a few of the smaller Leeches while repelling some of the medium-sized ones. Once Ami came up behind him, he leapt onto the roof of the truck and then onto a large, bear-like one. He'd just started drilling into it when he spotted the Medal.

                "What?" he asked in shock.

                He didn't stop, at least, but the brief distraction was enough for a small, catlike Leech to jump him from behind, biting at his arm above the attachment. He was forced to pull his arm free from the bear to fight off the cat, but it gave the bear a chance to throw him off.

                "Move!" he heard Ami shout suddenly.

                He didn't try to figure it out, instead leaping out of the way just in time as Ami slammed the side of the truck into the Leech.

                "Nice, Ami!" he shouted.

                "Get in," she ordered.

                He raced over and climbed onto the side of the truck, opening it as Ami put it into reverse. He just had time to get inside as she spun it around and shifted back to forward.

                "That thing had a Medal inside it," he gasped out.

                "I know," she admitted. "I noticed something strange about their energy signatures earlier, and when I fought them, I noticed something shining inside them."

                "Damn," he breathed. "They got everything." As she nodded, he turned back to look at the Leeches. "Okay, now we've really got to catch up to Hino."

                "We'll try," she promised. "But Rei stands a better chance of reaching him."

                "Right," he agreed.

                "Are they after us?" she asked.

                "No."

                Ami hit the brake and turned to look with him. The Leeches were all standing in the middle of the road, as if staring out into nothingness.

                "The hive mind," she realized.

                "Destroying one destroys the whole, right?" Date asked. "Want me to head back, and..."

                She should have said yes, but she found herself hesitating—just a moment too long, as the Leeches all withdrew, melting back into the shadows they'd come from.

                "What was that about?" he asked.

                "I don't know," she admitted. "But we'd better reach Eiji and Rei before they try anything next."

 

~~~

 

                Sailor Coronis stood before the Leeches, putting herself between them and Eiji and Hina. But the Leeches did not take kindly to the priestess of war and launched themselves at her.

                Eiji tried to shout for her to look out, but he barely had the strength left. In any case, Athena leapt over their attack, blasting another whirlwind before shouting at Hina, "Get him out of here!"

                She nodded and helped Eiji to his feet once more. He could hardly move on his own anymore, and she had to support all of his weight. Her grip slipped, but she pulled him back up, forcefully enough that he gasped for a moment from pain.

                "Eiji, please," she begged again. "Stay awake!"

                "Sorry," he murmured. "I keep needing you to help me."

                She stared at him in confusion. "What? Eiji, I'm always the one who needs you."

                For a moment, he didn't answer, just struggled to breathe. But finally, he said, "Ever since I came home, I've been asking a lot from you because I couldn't do it. Even when I was back in time, I couldn't save myself. I couldn't do anything—everyone else had put themselves in danger for me. I know I promised you I'd ask for help more, but this is too much."

                "No," she insisted. "You couldn't know the Leeches would come after us."

                "But," he argued, "they came after you because of me."

                "That doesn't mean anything!" she cried. "This isn't your fault!"

                "I know," he said. His eyelids were heavy, and he was slipping out of her hold again. It occurred to her how many injuries he had and how much pain the transformation must have put him through, but still, he was trying to say something he thought was important. "I know you'd..." He stopped, taking in more breath. "I know how you..."

                How she what? He was drifting off again, falling toward the ground. She had no choice but to let him down gently, or else he might get hurt.

                "Eiji!"

                Hina looked up to see Rei running toward them, hurling flames toward the Leeches. She came to stop beside them, kneeling next to Eiji and promising, "It's going to be okay." He didn't show any sign he'd understood or even heard her—his eyes were unfocused and his breathing shallow and ragged. Rei looked to Hina. "Stay with him. I'll protect you both."

                "Sailor Mars!" Athena called out. "Let's combine our powers!"

                Rei started for a moment at the unfamiliar Guardian with the very familiar bandage and voice, but she nodded, drawing another circle of fire.

                "Burning Mandala!"

                Athena lifted her good arm and cried out, "Coronis Tornado!"

                The wheels of fire spiraled around inside the tornado, surrounding one of the Leeches and incinerating it. The others backed away, flapping their wings to avoid the flames, screeching in fury. Athena ran over to Rei and the others and warned, "Quickly! We must escape!"

                She reached out her good hand to Rei, who nodded and held it, both of them standing over Hina and Eiji. Hina held Eiji's hand too, whispering, "Just hold on. You'll be safe soon."

                He glanced at her hand holding his and smiled faintly. "You're still..." She looked down at him and got closer, trying to hear him. "You're still holding my hand. Even now. Thank you."

                His breathing quieted, and she realized he was unconscious. She tried to squeeze his hand, tried to call his name, but with Athena and Rei gathering and focusing their power, she couldn't seem to hear anything.

                Light engulfed her, and for a moment, that was the only thing she knew—that and the feeling of Eiji's hand in hers.

                The light faded, and as her eyes adjusted back to the darkness, she realized they were on the grounds of Hikawa Shrine. But in the distance, shadows were approaching again, and Athena and Rei were back in motion.

                "This won't be enough," Athena warned. "We need a stronger barrier against them!"

                Rei summoned her bow and held up her secret weapon—another of the shrine's arrows, bound with sacred bells. She released it, and the tinkling echoed through the air as the arrow burned and exploded, showering the grounds with embers.

                The Leeches finally arrived, and the first two struck against the renewed barrier, only to find themselves stuck as the blessings burned them up. The remaining ones waited for a moment before retreating, presumably for a later attack.

                Only when they were gone did Rei transform back and join Hina, who tried futilely to wake Eiji.

                "He needs to rest," she said. "The ceremonies alone used up a lot of his energy."

                Hina shook her head, breaking into tears again. "It's because of me. He never should have used a combo—he knows what they do to him. But he did it to save me."

                Rei looked at her and saw something she'd seen plenty of times before but never truly experienced for herself. It made everything else make sense.

                "You've seen this before, right?" she asked gently. Hina nodded. "Then you know how to help me treat him." Another nod. "We'll get him into my room to rest, okay? We can take care of his injuries there. Yours too." Now, she looked up to the strange Sailor Guardian that had taken the place of her bird. "You too, Athena. That arm is still broken, and Eiji's bandage isn't enough to take care of it."

                Athena glanced down at her arm before nodding. "Thank you."

                Rei nodded back, trying to make everything seem as normal as possible, for Hina's sake. In a single night, the Leeches had harmed her brother and Rei's. They had to make this situation look like it was under control.

                The truth was nothing was in control. Their one hope of defeating the Leeches would almost certainly kill Shingo too, if his mind was lost among theirs. And with Eiji's Medals in the Leeches' possession, they needed every edge possible against them.

                Athena seemed to pick up on her thoughts, the way she always did. "Focus on the now. Whatever comes next, we will take a little at a time."

                Rei nodded. Now, they needed to get Eiji inside and treated and to try to calm Hina down. And that she could still do.

                The first thing to do was to take off his clothes, and it was a sad fact of life that Hina had either had to help him with treating his injuries or had watched someone else treat him enough times that this didn't even faze her. But the moment Rei saw the sword scar across his chest, she had to gasp slightly.

                "I know," Hina admitted. "I hate it too. But Date says it should heal really well."

                Rei nodded before noticing a line of bruises forming along his side. As she looked at them in concern, Hina winced and confessed, "I tried to keep him awake. It was the only thing I could think of."

                "That's okay," Rei insisted, gently helping lift him up to a sitting position.

                The bruises on his back were nastier to look at, and Hina positioned cold compresses against the worst of them before Rei helped into a kimono and laid him down again on a pillow. More compresses were placed against his side, and a cool cloth went over his forehead to help with the elevated temperature the transformation had left him with. Throughout all of it, he slept, never once responding to pain or movement.

                "Is this normal for him?" Rei asked.

                "Combos—the solid color forms—take a lot out of him," she explained. "We're not exactly sure what it does to him, but there's so much power in the Medals that it seems to overwhelm him."

                "With the state of his own energy, it did not take much to harm him," Athena noticed grimly.

                Hina hesitantly nodded as Rei helped Athena bandage her arm with a makeshift wooden splint. Athena lifted her arm carefully and bowed.

                "Thank you," she said. "You both would do well with rest. I will stand watch for now."

                Once Athena had left, Hina asked, "She's another Sailor Guardian?"

                "Yes," Rei answered, turning her attention back to her unconscious brother.

                "Eiji seemed to recognize her," she pointed out. "And she said that he'd saved her?"

                She sighed. This was going to be a long and difficult story. But she looked at Hina and asked, "Has Eiji told you about our father?"

                "Some of it," she admitted. "Date was in the same part of Africa during the war. He didn't meet Eiji, but he did see him. He told us how your father paid to get Eiji out, then used his story to get sympathy from voters."

                "Eiji didn't tell you himself?" Rei guessed. When Hina shook her head, she admitted, "I'm not surprised."

                "He doesn't like to talk about it," she said.

                "I understand," Rei insisted. "But at the same time, he tends to make excuses for his family. Even when he came to stay here, he said that Father was trying to help, but we both knew better. Father was only trying to make appearances, to help himself. Of course they had to act like Eiji was their first priority—it was what looked good. They weren't giving him anything he really needed."

                Hina was quiet, and Rei realized she was getting too worked up over this again. Sighing, she admitted, "I know this because I went through it myself. When I was very young, my mother passed away. But Father never visited her, not even in the hospital when she was dying. So as old as five, I decided I wasn't going to have anything to do with him if I could help it. Grandpa took me in here."

                "Eiji's grandfather too?" Hina asked.

                Rei nodded. "He was living as a priest then, although he still traveled from time to time. While I was growing up, he tried to stay in one place for a while. But even when he was gone, I had company to play with—the crows that lived at the shrine, Phobos and Deimos."

                "Crows?" she repeated, taken aback. There had been dead and dying crows all around the complex, thanks to the Leeches. And hadn't she stepped on one's wing?

                "I have a sixth sense," Rei confessed, nodding. "So when I first saw those two crows, I knew their names immediately, and I felt like they'd told me. When I got older, I learned that they were reborn from my guardians in my past life, where they'd lived as humans that could transform into birds. Something you have to understand is that every planet, every star in our galaxy has a Sailor Guardian to protect it, and we are constantly reborn. They came from the planet Coronis."

                "Sailor Coronis," Hina realized, nodding.                                                                               

                "Yes. But something happened." Rei paused to take a breath. This was the hardest part, and though the pain had faded over the years, she still felt the hole in her heart. "A rogue Sailor Guardian was attacking and killing other Guardians. One of her servants had already killed Sailor Coronis and was after me. Phobos and Deimos confronted her, since they'd known her before, and she killed them too."

                Hina looked down. "I'm sorry."

                "It was a long time ago now," Rei said. "But maybe a year or two later, on the anniversary of their death, Eiji came to the shrine for the first time. I'd heard a little about my father's wife and children, but I never really wanted to hear much about them during the few times he visited me. Apparently, they'd heard a little about me too, and Eiji was the only one who was curious. He'd asked year after year if he could come with Father when he'd visit me for my birthday, but Father always told him no. This time, when it wasn't my birthday, he asked his mother if he could visit the shrine for the day. I don't know how he convinced her, but they did spoil him a lot, so she took him."

                Hina smiled and shook her head. "It's strange thinking about him as a little kid. Hearing words like 'spoiled.'"

                "He was sweet, but very spoiled," Rei explained. "He wasn't used to being told no. And I was just as stubborn. I didn't want to care about him, and I blamed him when he found a dead crow. When I blew up at him, he ran off. We found him later at the bottom of a tree, his arm broken while he carried a nest. He'd found a stray cat that had killed the bird, and then he saw the nest. He climbed up to bring it down, deciding he was going to take care of the eggs, but he fell. He still managed to protect the only hatchling in that nest, though. Athena."

                Hina stared in surprise, then looked at the door. "That Athena?"

                Rei nodded. "Named for the goddess of wisdom and tactical warfare. I could barely hear her voice back then, probably because she was so young. Ami named her—her mother's also a doctor and had come over to help take care of him. Eiji insisted on coming over at least once a week to take care of the baby bird."

                "That sounds like him," Hina admitted.

                "Again, he was spoiled enough that they let him," Rei said. "And I guess they thought it would teach him responsibility."

                "So she was the reborn Sailor Coronis the entire time?" Hina asked.

                "No matter how many times we're reborn, the bonds between us always draw us together," she explained.

                Hesitantly, Hina asked, "Did Phobos and Deimos..."

                Rei shook her head. "I never saw them again, at least. It's possible they were reborn on their home planet now, or that they weren't. Eventually, old souls leave us so new ones can be born."

                A thought came across Hina, and she asked, "Is Eiji..."

                "I think he's a new soul," Rei admitted. "Part of me hopes so, at least. My guardian planet is the planet of war. I don't know if we would have been reborn into the same family, but the way his soul is, I don't know if he would have been able to stand being a descendent of the god of war." Hina gave a reluctant nod. "But right now, I think you should get some sleep. You've been through a lot today."

                "I don't know if I can," she admitted. "But I'll try. Thank you." When Rei gave her a look of surprise, she explained, "For telling me all of that. I'm sure it must have been hard."

                Rei smiled gently and nodded. Hina closed the door on her way out and made her way toward the room Rei had set aside for her. But though she knew it was safe within the barrier around the shrine, she was careful to stay in the moonlight at all times, quickening her pace at every shadow.

                "Are you afraid?"

                Athena's voice. Hina stopped and forced herself to calm down before admitting, "Yes."

                The strange Sailor Guardian stepped out of the shadows to stand beside her. "Why? These shadows cannot harm you."

                "I know," she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

                "Do not let the Leeches' perversion of darkness turn you away from it entirely," Athena warned. "The night is necessary, providing shelter and safety and allowing for rest and renewal."

                "I know," she answered again. "But it's hard to think of that when..."

                When her brother had been possessed by the Leeches. When Eiji had been hurt again. When she was trapped here with no way out and had to worry about how they could possibly defeat the Leeches and save the people she loved.

                "Do not give in to fear," Athena insisted. "Even the Leeches act out of fear—fear of the light and envy of those who walk among it." When Hina looked at her in surprise, she added, "Because they are afraid, they try to take what we have, so that they too can be powerful enough to stand in the light. They hold themselves together, afraid to let a single mind go, just because they are afraid."

                Hina shook her head. "It's not the same thing."

                "Then you should not be afraid," she reasoned. "Walk in the darkness just as you do in the light, without hesitation, and your fears cannot harm you."

                Hina nodded slightly, though she doubted she could let go of her fears so easily. Apparently recognizing this, Athena reminded her, "It will be a long night, and an even longer day. Now, let the darkness provide you with rest and recovery."

                It was easy to say, but far harder to believe. Hina nodded again and opened the door to her room quickly so she wouldn't be caught crying. Once she got inside, she clutched Ankh's Medal, letting out her tears in the dark, where no one could see them.

                In Eiji's room, Rei lit candles and knelt before them to pray. Even without her sixth sense, she could tell Hina had broken down—it was only a matter of time, after everything that had happened. That alone convinced her she was right to keep this last secret.

                In front of the candle flames, she could see Eiji's own. It wavered with every breath, the light and warmth fading. His body, already recovering and now drained, didn't have the energy to withstand the surge of power that came from the combo. Allowing the Leeches to absorb part of the transformation energy had helped somewhat, but his flame was dying.

                "I'm sorry," she whispered to him. "I made a terrible mistake."

                He didn't answer, but he did keep breathing and his flame, for the moment, continued to burn. That was all she could hope for right now.

 

~~~

 

                Date didn't miss how Ami's hands were beginning to shake as she gripped the steering wheel. No blood was seeping through the bandages they'd gotten on her at the Foundation, and she had gotten some sleep, but there hadn't been nearly enough time for her to recover from the use of her Sailor Crystal.

                "Need me to take over?" he asked.

                She took a breath and answered, "Maybe. It's a little far from here to the shrine."

                "Don't head to the shrine, then," he insisted. "Take the next turn up ahead."

                "Why?"

                "We're heading to Cous Coussier. It'll give you a chance to rest."

                She shook her head. "Rei and Eiji..."

                "Won't be helped if you show up in this condition and get yourself killed," he pointed out bluntly. "Besides, a doctor's got to do everything in his power to save his patient's life, right?"

                Ami had to smile. "You're using my own logic against me." But she took the turn and followed his directions to the restaurant anyway.

                The Leeches had still retreated, but Rei's protections on the neighborhood would keep them safe anyway. Date had a key for emergencies, so he let her inside and sat her down at the table before pulling out two bento boxes from the fridge.

                "I feel bad eating all that food we bought Eiji," Ami admitted. "Especially when he's not in any condition to cook."

                "Yeah, but if I know him, he won't mind a bit," Date said. "We'll just be sure to replace them."

                She nodded, eating a bit of rice before opening her communicator. "I need to tell Rei about the change in plans. I couldn't get through to her earlier." Date nodded, and she called in, "Rei, are you there?"

                It took a minute, but they finally heard her answer, "I'm here."

                "I'm sorry we couldn't make it to help you," Ami said. "Is everything okay?"

                "We're back at the shrine," she replied. "We had to put up a stronger barrier around it to prevent the Leeches from getting through again. They're still active out there, but for now, we're safe inside."

                Date knew evasion when he heard it, and he pointed out, "That didn't answer her question."

                Rei sighed. "There's a lot going on. But most importantly, Eiji's hurt. Not just from the Leeches, but from..."

                "From his combo," Date answered grimly. "How bad is it?"

                "Bad," she confirmed. "Hina did all she could to keep him awake, but he lost consciousness when we teleported here, and he hasn't shown any signs of waking up. There's..."

                She hesitated, and Ami knew it was worse than it sounded. "There's what?"

                "He's dying," Rei admitted, her voice soft. "His body wasn't strong enough to take all of that energy. I may not be able to see all of the damage, but I can tell his life force is fading."

                "Damn," Date breathed. "How's Hina taking it?"

                "I haven't told her," Rei confessed. "She's going through enough. Her brother was taken by the Leeches—they managed to incorporate him into the hive mind."

                Date and Ami stared, and Ami asked, "But how?"

                "He must have opened his mind to them," she said. "It would have been the only way to resist the damage."

                "But that means if we destroy the hive mind, we'll kill him too," Ami pointed out.

                "I know," Rei answered. "I don't know how we're going to defeat them now."

                "We'll work on that part," Date promised. "You keep an eye on your brother."

                "I don't even know if he'll make it through the night," she admitted.

                "He's tough, he will," he insisted. "And he makes it through the night, he'll make it through the whole way."

                "I hope you're right," she said before ending the call.

                "You really believe that?" Ami asked, closing her communicator.

                Date didn't answer right away. He stared off for a moment before admitting, "I saw him lying in the middle of the forest, unresponsive, pale, and somehow still breathing. I've got to believe that's the worst he'll ever go through." Sympathetically, she nodded. "So. We'll figure this out in the morning. Right now, we just gotta get through the night."

 

~~~

 

                The Leech had shapeshifted again, releasing its ribcage like a trap to snare around him while its head bobbed on its spine. Shingo's energy was drained only to the point where he couldn't resist as the hands pulled the Medals and Driver away from him before joining the rest of the body, attaching itself through tendrils of darkness. The Leech looked down at them for a moment before craning its neck toward Shingo, drawing itself and him closer and closer until their heads touched. There was an awful, clawing pain, like it was trying to rip his brain open, and he started to scream. There was no way to keep them out, only to give in.

                Give in. Drop his guard. Open a hole in his mind and let the shadows in.

                The pain vanished, and his mind settled into old habits. His sense of self collapsed, as if falling into a deep sleep, but he could still filter information through the Leeches' presence. The intruders could touch, could use, but they could not take. They could scatter as much of him as they wanted, but they could not destroy him.

                They brought him to the outskirts of Hikawa Shrine, where the barrier was successfully keeping them out. They had him hold a hand out, and they felt the jolt of pain that ran through his arm. Rei had modified it to be sure even he would be kept out.

                But there were still the Medals to consider, and they looked at the case in his hands. They brushed past his memories and took what they needed. Eiji had four Medals—the three he'd stolen from them, and the broken one that would be no use to them, Shingo subtly insisted. A full set of ten had been destroyed. Three were returned to the Tokugawa family, as heirlooms and national treasures. Three were untraceable, likely in the hands of Foundation X. And three more...

                His body was fatigued. It needed more energy, and dawn was coming. They were still at a disadvantage.

                They would give their enemies time to rest, for now, while they did the same. The shadows retreated into Shingo's body, bringing the Medals along with them. He would protect them from the light, would share in their energy, whether he wanted to or not.

                And in this nightmare, he would sleep without dreams.

 

~~~

 

                Hina fell asleep in much the same position she'd entered the room in—curled up on the floor, crying and holding Ankh's Medal like her life depended on it.

                Her dreams were filled with darkness—not the comforting shadows that Athena had spoken of, but the kind that lurked and reached for her, screaming for her in her brother's voice in every direction.

                She did the only thing she could do; she ran. To where, she didn't know, but she had to get away from the screams and shadows. Was this what Eiji dreamed of every time he closed his eyes? Was this what her brother was dreaming, taken by the darkness? She wanted to pull them free, but she was afraid of disappearing into the dark along with them.

                The shadows outran her, surrounded her, overcame her. She couldn't fight her way out, couldn't save anyone—what good was strength if she couldn't _do_ anything with it?

                A hand reached out of the shadow and grabbed her arm. She screamed at first before recognizing the rough, red edges. It pulled her free, into the light of candle flames, where she found herself face-to-face with Ankh.

                It wasn't real. It couldn't be. But all the same, she put her arms around him and buried her face into his chest and cried in relief. He didn't move for a moment, but then, he put his arms around her too.

                The Medal in her hands felt warm, and there were no more shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title shamelessly lifted from _A Princess of Mars_ by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Athena's personality is mostly a meld of Delenn from _Babylon 5_ (though, a warrior version) and somehow, Renamon from _Digimon Tamers_.


	7. Things Left Unsaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning comes, and Eiji hasn't woken up. While Date and Ami have to bring yet another person into the mess, Rei prepares to make a prayer she never wanted to. And as Hina copes with the things she should have said, she finds Eiji's last hope might have been there the whole time.

                Someone had moved Hina in the night and placed her on a futon, then covered her with a comforter. She opened her eyes in confusion, but saw Sailor Coronis sitting against the wall, as if standing guard over her.

                Athena smiled at her. "Good morning."

                "Morning," she mumbled, sitting up. Looking at her surroundings, she asked, "Did you..."

                "I thought it would be more comfortable than your previous position," she explained.

                "Thank you," she replied.

                She started to get up, hearing voices on the grounds—nothing threatening, but plenty of people around. Despite the barrier, the shrine was open for business on New Year's Eve.

                "Sailor Mars—Rei—thought it would be best if I remained inside while she performed purification rites for today," Athena explained.

                "Is she doing that now?" she asked.

                Athena shook her head. "Right now, she is with her brother. He should not be left alone."

                Hina lowered her head. It didn't sound like Eiji had woken up yet. And from the way he was acting before he'd lost consciousness, he didn't think he'd wake up again either.

                Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "Is he..."

                "He is alive," Athena insisted. "But he will need everything we can give him."

                She held tight to Ankh's Medal. She wasn't sure if it would help him again this time, but still... "I want to see him."

                Athena nodded and led her out. They kept out of sight as much as possible until they got to Eiji's room. Rei sat before him, with three dying candles in-between, and it looked as though she hadn't moved from that position all night. When she realized Hina had entered, she looked up at her with a gentle smile.

                "No change?" Hina guessed. Rei hesitated before shaking her head. Hina knew what that hesitation meant, and asked, "Then is he..."

                Rei took the three candles and stood up, insisting, "His flame hasn't gone out yet. There's hope."

                Hina looked down at him, whispering, "This is all my fault."

                Rei shook her head. "If I know anything about him, it's that he won't let anything stop him once he's made up his mind on something. If he thinks it's right, he'll do it, no matter the consequence. And no matter who tries to stop him."

                Hina closed her eyes, fighting tears, and Athena insisted, "If there's anyone to blame, it's those Leeches."

                "Exactly," Rei answered calmly. "They're the ones who hurt Eiji, and you. And your brother. It wasn't anything you did."

                But that was the problem—she hadn't _done_ anything. Nothing that could help. But she didn't know how to make Rei understand, so she just stayed silent as Athena insisted, "We will ensure they pay for this mistake."

                Hina remained silent, so Rei asked, "Do you want us to leave you alone for a little while?" She nodded. "Okay. I'm going to start oharae. I'll ask someone to bring you some food. Athena?"

                "I will remain nearby," she promised.

                Rei nodded and led Athena out. Hina made her way to Eiji's side, dropped to her knees, and took his hand. It was ice cold. Ankh's Medal was warm, so she placed it in his hand and half-hoped that again, his breathing would ease toward normal and he would start to wake up. It never happened. But if all it did was make his hand a little warmer, then it was something she could live with.

                "There's something I haven't told you," she said, her voice sounding oddly steady. "And it's funny. Even with you like this, with no guarantee you can hear me, I can barely make myself say it." She smiled softly and confessed, "I must seem like such a coward. All those times I could have told you, but I never did because I was afraid—either that you wouldn't feel the same way and you'd only pretend so you wouldn't hurt me...or that maybe, you would, and you'd still just hurt yourself trying to make me happy."

                The forbidden words were on the tip of her tongue. She felt herself shaking, felt tears in her eyes as she finally said them: "I love you."

                She let go of his hand for only a moment, to wipe her eyes. "I'm sorry I never told you before now. I'm sorry I've spent all this time being afraid, when you've been doing everything you can to protect me and everyone else. Even if you wake up, I'll probably still be too scared to say this to you directly. But no matter what, I promise I won't ask anything from you that you can't give or do. Just...wake up. Please."

                She took a breath. "I know I'm asking for a lot. I want my brother back. I want these Leeches gone. I want Ankh back. But right now, if I could only have one thing, all I want is for you to open your eyes and tell me that everything's going to be okay. Because I won't believe it until I hear it from you. No matter what happens, even if you can't do anything, if you say it, I can believe it. I always have, and I always will."

                There was no response, no answer to her prayer. Eiji remained still and sleeping, caught between the darkness and the light. Hina kept his hand in hers and felt the warmth between them from Ankh's Medal and let the tears fall.

 

~~~

 

                It was going to be another long day working security on the mostly empty Kougami Foundation building, but it was what you had to put up with when you were one of the rookies.

                At least Takuya's shift was late enough that he got to sleep in. He brought his Ride Vendor up, ready to swing around to the garage when he saw Shingo standing outside.

                "Hey," Takuya called out, bringing the bike to a stop. "Any news on Eiji?"

                Shingo turned to him, as if in a daze, but answered, "He's with his sister now."

                Takuya nodded. "Yeah, Hina told me that. She said he's doing better, but you know. He tends to overdo things."

                Shingo was staring. It was beginning to make him uncomfortable and worried. "Hey, are you feeling okay? You seem kind of out of it."

                "Stress," he answered simply. "Eiji's had us all worried."

                Takuya nodded, albeit hesitantly. Stress and worry over Eiji would certainly explain things. Still, something didn't quite seem right, and he asked, "So what brings you here?"

                "Kougami has something I need," he said.

                Everything in him said something was wrong, and he said, "Mr. Kougami's on vacation right now. You know that." Shingo wasn't blinking. Barely moving. No expression on his face. Takuya started to reach for the Birth Buster they'd issued him, trying to distract him by asking, "Why are you _really_ here?"

                A surge of darkness came from Shingo's body and knocked the Birth Buster out of his hand, and he felt a sudden twinge of numbness, an unexpected weakness.

                "Okay, so you're not Shingo," he said. "Good to know."

                Another burst of shadow came for him, but he gripped the handles of the Ride Vendor and leaned into a sharp turn, determined not to let that attack hit him again.

                There were no weapons on the Ride Vendor. Takuya was not a serious threat. Shingo turned from him and released more of the Leeches, laden with Core Medals, to try to break their way into the Foundation building.

                "No," Takuya breathed, calling in. "Guys, this is Harada. Lock everything down! Repeat, lock _everything_ down!"

                "What's going on out there?" his captain asked.

                "I'll tell you when I figure it out," he muttered.

                The first barricade was going down, but Shingo got past it. Takuya sped up and brought his bike into a skid, sliding underneath right behind him, knocking him off his feet.

                The Leeches caught Shingo before he could fall, but it cost him the chance to breech the second barricade. Fury filled the hive mind, all directed toward Takuya. The Leeches turned toward him, shifting shadows into bone and blades, and rushed him.

                Takuya reached for a candroid, for use in emergencies only, and braced himself as the tiger attached itself to the Ride Vendor. It was his only hope, but it was going to hurt.

 

~~~

 

                They'd taken Eiji's room for the night, and Date insisted on Ami taking the bed. She hadn't had the strength left to argue, and she wasn't sure she would be able to take the embarrassment of him picking her up and putting her in bed, so she went without protest.

                She slept soundly the entire night, waking only when she smelled food. She opened her eyes to see Date setting a bowl of oden on the desk across from her. Of course.

                "Isn't it a little early in the day for that?" she asked, slowly reaching for her glasses.

                "Nah," he answered. "It's noon."

                Now, she got up quickly. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?"

                "You needed the sleep, and you know it," he argued.

                "What about the hospital?" she asked.

                "Already took care of it. Told them you were sick." He pointed to the oden. "Now, eat."

                She smiled, shaking her head. "One stubborn doctor to another."

                He grinned back. "I know you'd rather have a sandwich, but..."

                "But this is more filling, and we both need our energy," she finished. "You said the same thing back in Chicago."

                "Did I?" he asked, frowning. "Anyway, I added some soba in it. You know, traditional stuff for New Year's Eve."

                Ami raised an eyebrow as she went over to sit down and eat. "What other additions?"

                "Don't worry, I didn't put in any yellowtail," he said. "I remember you hate that stuff."

                She smiled and took a bite. Sure enough, he'd only put in some vegetables, tofu, and soba. "Has Rei called?"

                "No," he answered. "And since if anything happened to Hino, she'd definitely let us know, I guess no news is good news."

                "She still has to perform oharae today," she said. "So ordinary humans should be able to pass through the barrier. We could try to get through to help Eiji..."

                "But there's a chance that the Leeches will ambush us and just hold us hostage like they did Hina," he pointed out.

                She nodded and sipped the broth. "Our best bet to defeat them would have been to attack the hive mind directly. But with Shingo connected to it, the telepathic feedback could kill him too."

                "Yeah, I've been thinking about that," he admitted. "I was thinking, maybe that's what he's counting on."

                She stopped and stared at him as he took her chopsticks and rearranged her soba, forming a hole in the middle. "A hole? You think he made a hole in his mind?"

                "Not quite a hole, but more like a door," he said. "The Leeches were trying to make their way in, but what they forgot was that doors can be opened from the other side too. It probably saved his brain, but it meant he had to give up control. Still, because they're always connected to him..."

                "He's the heart of the hive mind," she realized.

                "Right," he answered. "Attack him, and you get all of them."

                She sighed and picked at her soba, destroying the hole. "But we have to figure out a way to save him in the meantime."

                "I know," he admitted. "And I have no idea how."

                Ami went back to eating as Date's phone rang. He took it out and frowned at the caller ID.

                "The Foundation?" he asked. "Why would they be calling?"

                "Maybe because of everything you borrowed?" she suggested.

                He grimaced. "Harada said he'd take care of all that." Still, he answered with, "Date here."

                "Date, this is Fujimori, Captain of the Fifth Ride Vendor Platoon. We understand you have the Birth equipment."

                "Yeah," he answered. "Harada Takuya was supposed to clear it with you."

                "He did," Fujimori answered. "But he's in trouble. We're under attack, and he's trapped between the barricades, trying to prevent the intruder from getting past."

                "Leeches?" Ami guessed, reading Date's expression.

                "ID scans indicate the intruder is Izumi Shingo," Fujimori added.

                "Got it," Date answered. "We'll be right over." He hung up and looked over at Ami, nodding. "Leeches. Shingo too."

                She finished her last slurp of soba and opened up her communicator. "Rei, Date and I are headed to the Kougami Foundation. Another Leech attack."

                "All right," Rei answered on the other end. "But what do they want there?"

                "Probably looking for more Medals," Date reasoned. "After all, Kougami took the Super Medals away from Hino."

                "I'll be there as soon as I can," she promised. "I just finished another oharae."

                "Don't worry about trying to meet up with us," Ami insisted. "Eiji needs..."

                "I have someone here to protect Eiji and Hina already," she said. "I'll be there."

                Date gave Ami a suspicious look, but Ami shook her head gently. Rei would explain as soon as there was time.

                "All right," she answered. "We'll meet you there."

                At the shrine, Rei nodded and closed her communicator before quickly dashing toward Eiji's room. Hina was still sitting beside him, holding his hand the way she had a few hours before. The tray of food she'd had delivered to her was untouched.

                "Hina?" she called gently.

                "I know I should eat something," she replied, not looking over. "But...I guess I didn't want to let go."

                She knew. Rei could hear it in her voice. No matter what they told her, she knew Eiji wasn't getting better without some kind of miracle.

                "I've got to help Ami," Rei said. "Hopefully, I can bring her in past the barrier, and she can help Eiji." Hina didn't react. "But to do that, I need to know everything you can tell me about the Leeches and when they attacked you. How did you escape?"

                "It was Ankh," she answered, still keeping her back to Rei. "He had enough power for some flames."

                Athena stood up and cautiously asked, "But that wasn't all. When the Leeches attacked us, you were waving something, something that Ankh apparently had set fire to. What was it?"

                Hina shook her head. "It was my flowers—the ones Mrs. Shimoda bought for me."

                "Flowers?" Rei repeated. "Did that stop your brother?"

                "Only for a little bit," she explained. "I guess he didn't want to get too close to the flames."

                "You have an idea," Athena realized, looking at Rei.

                She nodded, then asked, "Please keep an eye on them for me."

                Athena nodded, and Rei headed for the offering hall, quickly finding the bouquet of Casablanca lilies Eiji had brought in exchange for the purification. The flowers were still fragrant, the scent cutting through the memory of the smoky burnt darkness of the Leeches the night before. There, she transformed and summoned her Mars Arrow, binding a flower to it with more holy bells.

                "If I can end it now, please," she prayed.

                Athena said that prayers to Mars had to be made in blood.

                For Eiji and Hina's sake, she wished she didn't have to make that prayer again.

 

~~~

 

                Takuya held on tight as the Toride Vendor bucked wildly, swiping at the Leeches. Still unsure what it would do to them, they held back, ushering Shingo out of danger as they analyzed the threat. Mechanical, but acted like an animal. Controlled, barely, by a human. Full of energy, the both of them, but getting to their energy would be difficult with all of the claws and energy bursts. The Leeches themselves would not be harmed, but their human would be. Their Medals might be.

                For his part, Takuya was just grateful they weren't attacking him, since he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on without breaking his neck. The captain said Date was on his way. As long as he could keep the Leeches from breaking through the barricades, that was all he needed.

                A wild throw sent him flying, and he knew that was it. He braced himself for impact, hoping the worst would only be some broken bones.

                "Shine Aqua Illusion!"

                Water burst in, and he felt a stream of it at his back, breaking his fall. He hit the ground much more gently, soaked through, and looked up to see Kamen Rider Birth standing by with Sailor Mercury, both ready to engage the enemy.

                "You okay over there?" Date checked.

                "Soon as someone explains what's going on?" he asked. "Yeah."

                He could almost hear the cringe in Date's voice as he promised, "Soon as we make it out of this, okay?"

                Takuya got to his feet, shaking his head. "So that's not Shingo, right?"

                "It is, and it isn't," Date explained. "Kinda hard to explain, but he' s not exactly home right now."

                Takuya sighed as he prepared another candroid. "This better be a good explanation."

                "Be careful which ones you use," Ami warned. "The Leeches can absorb energy."

                They'd already taken the form of a large cat and met the Toride Vendor in combat. They took a risk on one of the claws and bit down on it, draining the energy not unlike a vampire drawing blood.

                "That's good to know," Takuya said with a grimace, backing out of the way as Ami blasted ice at it.

                While Ami kept up the snow and water, Date activated Shovel Arm and charged in, smacking at the Leeches with it. Takuya found himself backing up farther and farther, unable to help in the battle. The Toride Vendor was dead, the deactivated candroid lying separate from a thoroughly trashed bike. He started to open a Ptera candroid to toss over into the battle, but metal hit him, throwing off his aim. He looked over and saw Shingo with one of his custom Taka candroids.

                "Seriously?" Takuya shouted as the Leeches turned in his direction.

                "Harada, down!" Date ordered as he took a swing.

                Takuya dropped to the ground just in time, spotting his candroid nearby. He reached for it just as a bony tail lashed around his wrist, and he started to feel the energy drain again. But an icy spike tore through the tail, knocking a glittering yellow Medal free.

                "Grab it!" Ami cried.

                Drained or not, Takuya's fingers were still working fast as he pulled the tab of the candroid, sending a small purple pterosaur flying straight at the Medal as Shingo's hawk went for it. Ptera screeched at Taka, unleashing a low-level sonic attack that momentarily threw off its sensors, buying time for the Ptera to return to Takuya, who held it and the Medal with shaking hands.

                Ami unleashed another stream of ice and water before kneeling beside Takuya, checking his wrist. There was a red mark where the bones had wrapped around him, and though she urged him to try to make a tight fist, he couldn't seem to manage it as well as he usually would.

                "How's he look?" Date asked.

                "It didn't hold on long enough to drain him badly, but it did enough," she said. "We need to get him out of here."

                "And how exactly are we going to lure these things out of here?" he argued.

                "You don't need to lure them," another voice answered as Sailor Mars appeared, wielding her modified Mars Arrow, leveled at Shingo.

                "Rei..." Ami warned.

                "What are you doing?" Date demanded.

                "Mars, my guardian planet," she prayed. "Hear my prayer."

                The Casablanca lily ignited with a white flame, and the Leeches gathered around Shingo, as if to protect him. Takuya realized what was about to happen and screamed, "You can't!"

                Red fire joined the white flame, and she cried out, "Mars Flame Sniper!"

                She let the arrow loose, and at the same time, Takuya let go of the candroid. It flew directly into the way of the arrow, knocking it just off-course and into the Leeches as it exploded in white light and red sparks. The explosion ripped apart the Leeches, sending Core Medals flying as Shingo screamed with all the pain the Leeches couldn't voice.

                Rei and Takuya were both frozen in horror at what they'd done, but neither Date nor Ami was willing to give up the chance to escape. Date grabbed Rei while Ami picked up Takuya, and they fled while the Leeches tried to pull themselves back together.

                They got in the truck, and Date canceled his transformation so he could drive as Rei asked Takuya, "What do you think you were doing?"

                "Me?" Takuya asked. "What about you? Shingo was under mind control, right?"

                "This might have been our only chance to stop them," Rei warned.

                "Then stop them another way!"

                Rei's glare became icy. "It's because of them that Eiji's hurt."

                "Yeah, I was starting to put that together on my own," he argued. "And if I know him any, I know he'd be pissed to hear anyone trying to do this to one of his friends. It's not right."

                "All right, all right!" Date shouted. "That's enough out of both of you. Ami, how long should that slow down the Leeches?"

                "It looks like the entire hive mind was affected," she said. "It'll at least be long enough for us to get to the shrine and help Eiji."

                The reminder ended the argument, and Takuya looked away from Rei before quietly asking, "Can someone please tell me what happened to him?"

                "I can take care of that," Ami promised, and he nodded as she dove into the explanation.

 

~~~

 

                Athena had gotten Hina to eat lunch, but the moment she was done, she went right back to Eiji's side. Athena watched for a moment before quietly taking the dishes away and stepping outside. Hina needed privacy.

                Eiji's hand only felt a little warmer than it had before. There was hardly any change. But she held it with Ankh's Medal, all in the vain hope that she could somehow have them back.

                Ankh came over and knelt on the other side of Eiji, right across from her.

                She looked up for him, but there wasn't anyone there. Still, there was a warm, faint pulse coming from the Medal, and she tightened her grip on Eiji's hand and closed her eyes.

                It was even clearer in her mind—her, Ankh, and Eiji in-between, sleeping in light. The vision of Ankh showed him the way Hina had always seen him—in the form of her brother with his true Greeed right arm manifested.

                She risked raising her head again. This time, the vision remained, and she saw him looking at her much the same way he had when she'd last seen him—the day his Medal shattered and one of the halves found its way to her.

                "Ankh?" she asked quietly.

                He didn't answer, and she realized suddenly that he couldn't. With his Medal so damaged, this was all the energy he could muster. She suddenly felt a sharp pang of jealousy toward Eiji. He'd said he'd dreamed of him, thanks to the energy drift between them. At any time he wanted, he could see and hear Ankh.

                Ankh's expression changed slightly, as if to tell her no, not anytime. Only when he needed it the most, and no one else was there.

                Still, it was the first time she'd seen him in four years, and she hated the fact that the only thing she could say to him now was "What do you want?"

                He glanced down at Eiji.

                "I know," she answered. "I want to help him too. But Dr. Ami said that his body's just too weak to handle the combos."

                He looked up at her again, with that same look of admonishment. They both knew Eiji was stronger than this. But she shook her head. "The King hurt him too badly. He's still nowhere near full strength. This was more than he could take."

                He held out his hand, his Greeed hand. She hesitated, confused, admitting, "I don't know what you want. Your Medal?"

                He didn't indicate whether she was right or wrong, only glanced down at Eiji again. She couldn't understand what he was trying to say. Rei had severed the connection between them; his energy wouldn't be able to do anything for him anymore.

                His face twisted into its normal state of impatience with her, and he took her hand. All at once, the Medal heated up, and she felt something burning its way into her mind—the Medals bursting off her brother's hand as Ankh gave Eiji his Core, a blaze of warmth and power as TaJaDor formed, and the sense that Eiji wasn't alone, that someone was by his side in the final battle...

                She dropped the Medal suddenly, gasping for air as she opened her eyes. Ankh was gone—never really there in the first place.

                For a moment, she glanced at her hand, checking for a burn that wasn't there before checking on Eiji, who showed no signs he'd felt any of it. Where had that memory come from—him or Ankh? Or was it from them both, binding together the halves of the Medal with the energy that had fused them?

                Hesitantly, she reached for the OOO Driver and took Ankh's Medal and prayed she was right.

 

~~~

 

                Takuya was silent in shock as they stepped on the grounds of the shrine. He'd wanted an explanation, and he'd gotten it—far more than he was ready for. He'd always known Eiji and Hina were keeping something from him, but given Eiji's past in the war and his alienation from his parents, he figured he was entitled to some secrets. Still, a transforming warrior was probably the last thing Takuya expected from him.

                Date slowed his pace slightly and asked, "How you holding up?"

                He shrugged. What could he say? This was a lot more than he'd expected.

                But Date understood and gave him a grin. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it."

                "Is that supposed to be a good thing?" Takuya asked reflexively.

                Date grinned and clapped him on the back as Ami walked up front with Rei. Despite her civilian clothes, she had her visor active, scanning everything.

                "I might agree with Harada about your methods," she admitted, "but you at least held off all Leech activity for a little while. It might just be safe enough to move Eiji out, and we can put another barrier around him as we get him to the hospital."

                Rei nodded, only partially relieved. "It wasn't enough, though."

                Ami raised an eyebrow. "Not enough or not right?"

                "Both," she admitted. "But I don't know how we can save Shingo from the Leeches. Even that attack was enough to cause painful psychic feedback."

                "Do you think you can isolate him somehow?" Ami suggested. "Maybe another purification, like you did for Eiji and Ankh?"

                "Maybe," she said. "But it'll take time to set up..."

                She stopped suddenly, staring toward the house. There was a presence within, growing stronger every second.

                "Rei?" Ami asked, worried. "What is it?"

                Rei broke into a run, not caring who followed her. The moment she opened the door, she felt a hot wind against her, coming from the direction of Eiji's room.

                "Athena!" she cried, pushing her way through.

                Light, flames, and feathers were blazing from the room, and Athena was barely managing to shield herself with her good arm, caught completely off-guard.

                "What's going on?" Rei demanded.

                "I do not know," Athena answered, her voice sharp. "But whatever it is, it is because of Hina."

                "Hina?" repeated Takuya, and Rei looked back to see that the others had caught up. "Hina's in the middle of that?"

                "Damn it," Date hissed.

                Another burst of light and heat came at them, and for a moment, it felt almost like they'd walked into the heart of a star—impossibly bright and warm. But gradually, things returned to normal, and as their eyes slowly adjusted, they could see two figures in the middle of the room.

                One was Hina, kneeling while shielded by six iridescent wings. The other was the one protecting her.

                At first glance, it appeared to be TaJaDor, but a closer look revealed the differences. There was no longer a uniform black-and-red color scheme, although they still dominated; rather, there was yellow and green edging on his knees and on the tail feathers that now protected his front and behind. Golden feathers also appeared on the right side of his mask, sweeping up like hair pushed away from his face, and there—his right hand. It was the strange claw Rei had seen in her visions.

                "Are you..." she started before hesitating, too shocked to complete her question.

                Hina looked up, her emotions too confused to leave her shocked for long as she asked, "Ankh?"

                He made a sound of annoyance—one that didn't sound like Eiji's voice—as he stood up, asking, "What did you expect?"

                Nobody could speak for a moment, and he took full advantage of it, stepping forward and remarking, "So, just like I thought, Eiji was an idiot and put himself in even more danger. Only this time, it looks like my former host decided to learn from him. That's just what we need. And when someone decided it would be a good idea to cut off the energy I was feeding him."

                Hina stood, pleading, "Ankh, _please_."

                But Ankh walked directly up to Rei, staring at her evenly, and she matched his gaze.

                "So, if you want to save him this time?" he asked. "You're going to have to put up with me."


	8. Lost Blaze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ankh is back, for now, and as everyone plans to stop the Leeches for good, Hina has to figure out if she's strong enough to take back what she loves.

                Ankh was back.

                Ankh was back, alive, and currently in control of Eiji—it was hard for anyone to wrap their head around, and it was a blessing that Ami was able to collect herself and pull him aside so she could examine the both of them.

                Hina couldn't quite look at anyone as they waited with her on the other side of the room and Date asked, "What happened?"

                Slowly, she took a breath and asked, "Remember how I said Ankh protected me? Through his Medal, creating fire?" Despite the almost overwhelming urge to scream, Rei kept her head and nodded. "I think he's been trying to reach out to us the whole time, ever since Eiji put his Medal back together. But he didn't have enough energy until now."

                "So you did this?" Rei asked, her voice sharper than she'd intended it to be.

                Hina nodded reluctantly. "He appeared in front of me. He couldn't say anything, but I knew he wanted to help Eiji. When he reached over and took my hand, I..."

                She stopped, not sure how to explain. Takuya asked, "What happened?"

                She shook her head. "I'm not sure. I just suddenly saw something from their memories. I saw the last time they fought together, when Eiji used Ankh's Medal to become TaJaDor in the last battle with Maki."

                Date nodded grimly. "So that's what gave you the idea to try it again."

                "I didn't want anything to happen to Eiji," she insisted. "But I knew Ankh wouldn't hurt him." Now, she looked directly at Rei. "They might not be easy on each other, but Ankh knows Eiji's limits. He'd never do anything he knew Eiji couldn't handle."

                Rei wasn't sure what to say. She'd been the one to stop the energy flow into Eiji. She'd been the one to cause Eiji's sudden weakness when he'd just begun to regain his strength. Everything she'd done had only backfired and hurt him in the end. Inadvertently or not, she'd been the one who put all of this into motion.

                "We all do what we think is right," Athena reminded her softly before asking Hina more directly, "This form—has he possessed Eiji?"

                Ankh snorted from across the room. "As if. Eiji's the only one who can become OOO. If I could access this power by possessing him, I'd have done it a long time ago."

                "He has a point," Ami admitted, stepping away. "I'm picking up Eiji's brainwaves only. They all indicate deep sleep, but his body is beginning to recover. I'm seeing cellular activity pick up, injuries healing..."

                "But not like with normal sleep?" Date guessed.

                Ami shook her head. "All heightened, like before. But it's slower this time. The energy is incorporating into him more, taking its time."

                "Because you wouldn't let me heal him any faster," Ankh pointed out.

                "So what exactly are you doing?" Date asked. "Usually, those combos tear Hino apart."

                "Except he doesn't usually use my Core with it," Ankh said. "I can control the energy flow into him."

                As if to show them, he caused the lines on the armor to glow faintly—similar to how they acted when Eiji was powering up in a battle, but far more gentle, the energy slowly trickling into his body. All at once, Hina realized how little they really knew or understood about OOO. Eiji only knew it as a tool he could use to help people, a necessary weapon and burden—the power that tore through his body so he could help, but left him in more pain than any attacker could. This was what he'd always hoped to find, a way to use the Medals without resorting to pain and fighting.

                For the first time, she understood that Ankh was over eight-hundred years old, and by his very nature, he knew much more about the Medals than she and Eiji ever would; but only Eiji could use OOO's power, even if less effectively. No wonder he was always so impatient with them.

                Maybe it was because Takuya was new to everything, so it was only one of a million impossible things he'd just had to come to terms with, but he wasn't too shocked to ask, "So he's going to be okay?"

                Ankh looked up at him, barely holding himself back from calling him an idiot. Maybe he had to give Takuya the benefit of the doubt for now, since he was worried about Eiji, so all he said was "He should start to wake up in a few hours. I'll let him go then."

                Takuya accepted it well enough and nodded. "So...what now?"

                Ami deactivated her visor and walked over to Athena. "Ankh has Eiji's recovery under control right now, so I can help with your arm, if that's all right."

                "It is welcome," Athena replied, holding out her splinted arm. "I will be relieved when I can properly join everyone in battle."

                Ami nodded and held out her Mercury Crystal. With everything finally settling in for Takuya, he signaled to Date that he wanted to speak to him and Hina alone, and Date ushered her out of the room.

                "How are you doing?" Takuya asked.

                She smiled, but she couldn't manage to make that smile look or feel real. "I don't know."

                "Hey, Anko's going to take care of Hino," Date reminded her. "And we'll figure out how to save your brother, okay?"

                "I know," she said. "But it doesn't feel like I can do anything for them. Again."

                Date nodded solemnly, remembering how helpless she'd felt in the last days of their battles with the Greeed. But Takuya, completely new to everything, could only reply, "At least you can do more than me."

                Hina looked at him in surprise, and he admitted, "You know, for all my talk about dreams and figuring out what I'd want to protect...you've got it. You've got something to protect, a reason to do something."

                "But I can't do anything," she insisted. "I don't know how to fight. And everything I've done so far has..."

                "Kept them going," Date argued, before she could say she'd just put everyone else in danger. "If it hadn't been for you, Hino would be a lot worse off from that Leech attack. You were even the one who thought of giving him Anko's Medal."

                She shook her head. "It's not the same."

                "It's still something," Takuya insisted. "You know Eiji and Ankh better than anyone else. You know what they need. Me? I can only guess. And get myself in trouble."

                "You're not as bad off as you think either," Date warned. "You've got good instincts—you just need to put them to good use."

                "I guess," he admitted. "But it's not like I can make flaming arrows out of flowers or anything. What even _was_ that attack?"

                "What attack?" Hina asked.

                "Rei used one of those flowers Hino gave her," Date quickly explained, glossing over the attack on Shingo. "It held off the Leeches long enough for us to get here."

                "She asked about my flowers before..." Hina realized. "But why? I thought it was Ankh who protected me."

                "Well, there's no doubt that he did," Takuya pointed out. "But maybe there's something special about them?"

                She shook her head. "They were just normal flowers. Purple, but normal. Not like Rei's—those were an offering to the gods."

                But as soon as she said it, she knew it wasn't enough. Shingo had been afraid of the flowers before the fire. He hadn't been harmed at all by the omamori or the butsudan, but both he and the Leeches kept their distance around the flowers.

                "Maybe it's not necessarily faith in gods," Takuya suggested. "Maybe it's faith in other people too."

                She shook her head. "Mrs. Shimoda was grateful, but I wouldn't say she has much faith in me. I'm just the one person at the restaurant she and her husband can tolerate."

                "But you helped save someone she loves," Date pointed out. "And Hino bought his flowers less for the gods and more for his sister."

                Her heart was pounding, and she felt her face getting warm again. She was acutely aware of how Takuya and Date were both watching her, knowing, understanding.

                "Right," Date answered finally. "So that's another thing we can use. If it works."

                "Well, we know one thing," Takuya said. "Faith works. And I'll bet anything that it doesn't matter what kind of faith either."

                This was a safe topic, and Hina admitted, "Big Brother made it sound like the Leeches couldn't touch our family shrine either, and it was Buddhist."

                Takuya paused for a moment, frowning as he took out a Ptera candroid. Date and Hina watched him in confusion.

                "You got an idea?" Date asked.

                "Maybe," he admitted. "Those things are telepathic, right?"

                "Right," Rei answered, walking over to join them. "They're all joined together in a hive mind."

                Hina looked over at her apologetically, but Rei smiled and shook her head. Now that she'd had the time to cool down, she couldn't let herself blame Hina, when she too had taken desperate measures that day.

                "Well, I'd bet that it's hard to think with a really loud sound going on," Takuya continued.

                "What kind of sound?" Hina asked.

                "Joya no kane," he answered with a smirk.

                Rei closed her eyes and nodded. Of course—the Buddhist temples would be ringing their bells at midnight, as their own purification ritual.

                "A hundred and eight bells for the hundred and eight desires that cause human suffering," Date realized.

                Hina smiled ironically. "It's almost too perfect, if they've got the Core Medals."

                Takuya held up the candroid. "The one thing we do know is this: Shingo's candroids are disrupted by sonic waves from the Pteras. And if we can use the Battas to record the bells, the Pteras can broadcast it, amplified enough to disrupt the Leeches. It might even buy enough time to break Shingo out before you destroy them."

                Rei nodded. "It might work. But if they suspect your plan, they're going to target the candroids."

                "And that's where this comes in," he said, holding up the Medal he'd grabbed from the fight. "I figure they'd want this back."

                "It's just one, though," Date pointed out. "You're going to have to do a lot more convincing than that."

                He didn't seem willing to let that flaw in his logic stop him. Before anyone had the chance to guess what he was about to do, he burst right back into the room, startling Ami and Athena in the middle of treatment.

                "Ankh!" he called out.

                Ankh was sitting on the other end of the room, regulating his energy output into Eiji's body. He looked up, annoyed by the newcomer's intrusion.

                "What do you want?"

                Takuya either didn't notice he was aggravated or didn't care. Either way, he walked up to him, held out his hand, and asked, "Where's that Medal Eiji had before Hina put yours in?"

                The others were at the door, staring in shock at how direct he'd been. Ankh himself couldn't believe it and growled, "Who the hell are you?"

                "He's a friend," Hina insisted. Then, to Takuya, she asked, "What are you planning?"

                "The Leeches don't know what's going on with Eiji, right?" he asked. "All they know is that he's worn out from using this form. If we can get them thinking that he's well enough to use a random form..."

                "It would convince them to attack," Athena realized. "Lowering their guard."

                "Then once they're here, we can broadcast the ringing, and you can take care of the rest," Takuya told Rei.

                "I don't know," she admitted. "It's risky."

                "It is," Ami agreed, finishing Athena's treatment and slowly standing. "But it might be the best chance we have. You have the disguise pen. I can alter the energy readings so that they match with the particular Medals we have—with Ankh's help, of course." Ankh snorted again, but he didn't argue.

                "I'll do it," Takuya insisted. "Eiji's my friend. I can do this much, at least."

                "Ami and I'll head to the temple and set up the candroids," Date said. "Think you can use your computer to set up the connection between the Battas and Pteras?"

                "I should," she admitted. "If these were all designed to work together in the first place."

                Rei sighed reluctantly, looking at Takuya. "I guess I don't have a choice. But Athena and I will stay here to keep you, Hina, and Ankh safe." He nodded, and she handed him the pen. "The activation phrase is 'Moon Power.' Just say what you want to transform into. It won't be a perfect copy, but it'll be enough to fool the Leeches, especially with Ami's program."

                "All right," Date agreed. "Only a few hours till sunset. Let's get to work, everyone."

                Everyone starting splitting up their duties and planning things out, and Hina watched them with a vague sense of disappointment. Again, there was nothing she could do.

                Ankh met her eyes, and she tried to remind herself that the important thing was that they were all doing this for Eiji and for her brother. It didn't matter if she didn't have a part—just as long as she didn't get in the way.

                But Eiji had believed in her, and she couldn't help but wonder if he'd put his faith into someone who didn't deserve it.

 

~~~

 

                The explosion of light had torn the Leeches apart, temporarily shutting down the hive mind. Shingo collapsed as the parts of his mind they had taken were screaming, sharing the same telepathic pain.

                As the rest of the Ride Vendor platoon began to open the barricades, his candroids gathered the Medals and tossed them back into the Leeches. The energy started to rouse them, and they knew if they could just get at the electrical systems, they could regain more strength, absorb the humans in the building, and amass weapons and technology that could defeat their enemies.

                A voice within them said it was too dangerous and they should retreat.

                The hive mind did not dissent, and so they gathered within their voice and fled.

                It would not be long before the Leeches regained enough strength that they could suppress his mind again, so that little part of him he'd kept safe spread itself out, reaching into every part of the hive mind, and sent one last message: Do not avoid the holy places.

                There was a quiver of fear in the hive mind, but as the voice went silent, they considered their options. The holy places would harm them, yes. But they could withstand them if they used this form, and the Medals would keep them strong when they broke free to attack.

                And if they could attack before their enemies did, there would be no time for them to use another attack like they had used before. If they went on the offensive, they could deprive the enemy of their power.

                They would follow. They would find their enemies, no matter where they hid. And they would win.

 

~~~

 

                The plan was laid out and everyone's parts were set. Date and Ami had to make a quick stop at Cous Coussier to pick up Eiji's stash of candroids before heading to the temple. Rei was purifying the grounds for the battle, and Athena was standing watch. Takuya was testing out the disguise pen and Ami's program while Ankh kept himself and Eiji far out of reach.

                No one noticed when Hina slipped out.

                The temperature was still fairly mild, now that the sun was beginning to go down, but all the same, she pulled her jacket tighter around her as she walked the grounds. Her shadow had grown long, following her movements, like an elongated marionette. She knew these weren't Leeches and there was nothing to be afraid of, but knowing that her brother had become their shadow puppet, it was an uncomfortable thought.

                "What are you doing?"

                Ankh. She turned around and insisted, "Don't worry, I'm not leaving the grounds."

                "That's not what I meant," he said, walking up to her. "What are you _doing_? When the Leeches come, when your brother comes, what will you _do_?"

                She looked down. "I don't know."

                Takuya had meant well, but he'd completely ignored her while coming up with his plan. He hadn't asked her for her opinion or input, hadn't considered anything for her beyond hiding and keeping safe, hadn't given her a chance to help when he understood what it was like to feel helpless in the face of danger.

                "You know what the most annoying thing about Eiji is?" he asked, staring at his hands like he was still trying to figure out how he'd managed to blend so seamlessly with the OOO armor. "No matter what happens to him in the end, he's always running in headfirst so he can try to help someone."

                Hina gently smiled. "You might think it's annoying, but it's one of the things I love most about him."

                Despite the form, the look Ankh shot her gave her the distinct impression he'd raise his eyebrow. She didn't worry too much about the slip. At this point, everyone else on the planet would know before Eiji did. Maybe, if they all came out of this alive, she'd take the chance.

                Ankh snorted. "It makes him who he is, I'll give you that. But it's also a pain in the ass."

                "But if he didn't at least try, he'd never be able to live with himself," she sighed. "Ankh, I know what you're trying to tell me. But I don't see how there's any way I can help. You're the one saving Eiji right now. Takuya came up with the plan and is using himself as bait. Date and Dr. Ami are setting up the candroids, Athena's going to help with the fight, and Rei's going to do the purification. There's nothing for me to do!"

                He took her hand suddenly, holding it up for her to see. The gesture was unusual—Eiji always had to bribe him with ice pops to let her hold his hand.

                She looked up at him, and for a moment, she didn't see TaJaDor. She saw _him_ —the true Greeed form he rarely showed her, with Eiji standing at his side, smiling. And she understood what he'd tried to tell her before.

                "I know you'd never try to put me in danger," he said. "You'd do whatever you could to help me. Try to protect me. I know how you feel about me. Thank you."

                As before, the vision faded, and as she blinked tears out of her eyes, Ankh's TaJaDor form filled her vision.

                "He's still asleep," he explained. "But he's still reaching out for you, since he knows you won't let go of him. He finally got that part right. I can't always be there to help him."

                "But I can," she realized, and he nodded. "How?"

                "You were able to reach for me when I could barely reach you," he said. "You just managed to reach Eiji, when no one else can. You can reach for your brother too."

                She was about to protest, insist he was wrong, Eiji was wrong, there was no way she could do this with no fighting ability and no powers and nothing, but he took her hand with both of his and insisted, "If it's you, it'll happen. And I'll protect you any way I can."

                She was tempted to close her eyes, as she had when he'd first appeared to her. For a moment, she had to wonder if maybe that was Eiji again, speaking through his dreams.

                "Why?" she asked, determined to know who was promising this.

                There was a sarcastic, almost-laugh, and she knew it was Ankh all along. "Eiji made a deal with me, if I keep you safe. Ice pops. He damn well better keep up his end of the bargain."

                It was more than that, she knew, but Ankh wasn't going to be honest about it. No, he'd keep dancing around the issue, the same way she and Eiji danced around them too. It would always be safer that way.

                She nodded, smiling faintly. "Where do we begin?"

                It was amazing how naturally Ankh maintained his body language no matter what form he took. She could imagine the curl of his lips as he said, "First, there's a certain idiot we need to deal with..."

 

~~~

 

                The modifications to all of the candroids were done by sunset, and Date and Ami raced to set everything up at a temple near Hikawa Shrine.

                It was awkward work, trying to convince the priests to let them set up the grasshopper robots by the bells to record, then to actually find a spot for the candroids to safely stay in place. But with an hour to go until midnight, they were completely prepared and ready to start the tests.

                "All right," Ami said, checking her computer. "Everything's online and connected. Rei?"

                Via communicator, Rei answered, "Everything's in place here too."

                "Then let's begin the test," Ami decided. "Date?"

                "Ready," he said, rolling up his sleeves before striking the massive bell.

                A deep, melodic tone sounded, echoing for several seconds after the strike. Ami watched the signal hold steadily, and on her end, Rei heard the sound amplified, feet away from the circling candroids as they blasted it at a spot on the ground.

                "Everything's working fine," she said finally. "I think we're good to go."

                "Good," Ami admitted. "Then all we have left is..."

                Something swooped past Date, cutting his cheek as it went up. He shouted, "Hey!" and looked up just in time to see one of Shingo's modified Taka candroids destroying the Batta positioned by the bell.

                "Not these again," he growled, reaching for his Birth Buster.

                "Don't!" Ami warned, transforming. "We can't afford to hit the bells."

                "Okay," he sighed. "You take care of them; I'll get more candroids ready."

                She nodded and held up her hands. "Mercury Aqua Mist!"

                Fog billowed out, clouding the candroids' optics and buying time for her to take out the hawk. But in the haze and mist, she almost didn't see the dark wings coming at her until it was too late. She only just managed to block as an Ankh-type Leech flew past her with bladed wings. It made a sharp turn to miss the bell, giving her a chance to hit it with an ice spike.

                "I got it!" Date insisted, dashing for the released Medal.

                Another candroid dove in the way, capturing it and bringing it to a mass of shifting shadows and Medals. The shadows pulled themselves closer, revealing a human figure at their core—Shingo.

                "What the hell..." Date breathed.

                A grey Medal flashed, and a tendril, thick like an elephant's trunk, lashed out toward him. Ami was already playing her Mercury Harp and manipulated a stream of water to pull him out of the way while the rest tried to squeeze off the tendril.

                "It looks like our theory that he's the heart of the hive mind was more accurate than we thought," she admitted.

                Date nodded in shock as the trunk split apart and swung at them again. All around, the modified Taka candroids were flying, knocking the Battas out of place, smashing into them, and pecking at them—anything to destroy them before the bell could ring.

                "You think they're onto our plan?" he asked, dodging and shooting back.

                "I don't think so," she admitted. "To be honest, they're doing this because they see us doing _something_ suspicious. But as soon as the bell starts ringing, they'll be gone."

                "So we need to replace those candroids," he said.

                "But we can't keep fighting here," she warned. "There are too many people in danger."

                "Time for plan B?" he asked, and she nodded. "Okay. I'll buy time for you to get to the truck. Cover me!"

                "Of course," she insisted, holding up a sphere of water. "Mercury Aqua Mirage!"

                She'd inverted it this time; the water formed around Shingo, to try to protect him as the streams blasted the surrounding Leeches all at once, ripping them off of him and tearing Medals loose. As they struggled to regroup, Date ran to the bell and struck it, halting the shadows before they could gather the Medals or rejoin Shingo. It was clear they were fighting the pain—Shingo was covering his ears and had a look of pain on his face, as if expressing for them as well.

                As the sound reverberated, Ami dashed forward and stole a few of the Medals before racing to the truck—the only way she knew she'd get them to chase her. As she sped off, the Leeches following, she activated her communicator.

                "Rei, we've had to adjust the plan," she warned. "I have to lure the Leeches to the shrine. Date's got to replace the candroids."

                "We're ready," she promised, "but without the bells, I don't know how we'll be able to freeze them in place."

                "We have a plan B," Ami insisted, looking at the vase of flowers in the seat next to her. "Just make sure Harada's in position and safe."

                "He is," Rei said, looking over toward the house. Takuya was sitting inside, just as planned—the Leeches had to know Eiji was recovering from exhaustion, so they'd be suspicious if he were anywhere else. As soon as they attacked, he would run to safety in the sanctuary—normally off-limits, but tonight, they didn't want to take any chances. Until then, Rei would protect him and trust that Ankh had Hina and Eiji both somewhere safe until the purification began.

                "Good luck," Ami wished as she shut down the line.

                Rei took a breath and nodded, then took position in the room with Takuya.

                "The Leeches are on their way," she said, and he gripped his kimono tightly, keeping his head down. "Don't worry—Athena and I will guard you the whole way. The sanctuary is the holiest part of the shrine—they won't be able to touch it."

                Takuya nodded, but he didn't lift his head. She narrowed her eyes, suspicious as she watched the way he sat, the way his fingers crumpled the fabric of his kimono with more force than she thought they should have, the way he avoided looking at her or speaking a word.

                Before she could confront him with her suspicions, she heard a crash outside and the sound of Ami fighting. Takuya lifted his head by reflex, but Rei sprang to her feet.

                "Head down!" she warned. "Stay behind me. When I tell you, run!"

                At the same moment that Rei realized why Takuya's behavior seemed suspect, Athena noticed a statue of a kitsune placed in front of the sanctuary's doors—they would use this building to hide Takuya during the attack; why would someone have sealed it off? With a gentle turn of wind, she lifted it out of the way and opened the doors to find Harada Takuya tied up and gagged inside.

                Quickly, she cut him loose, and he confirmed what Rei already knew:

                "Hina—you've got to stop her! She's trying to stop the Leeches herself!"


	9. What Hearts Are Made Of

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hina, Ankh, Rei, and all the others make their final stand to save Shingo and Eiji and prove what's stronger than fear.

                The Leeches split apart, several Medal-types remaining to attack Ami while the rest turned toward the house. They saw who they thought was Eiji, trying to keep his head low as Sailor Mars stood before him to protect him.

                "Start running!" she warned as she blasted fire.

                Still trying to maintain the masquerade, Hina got up and started running in the opposite direction, Rei keeping only a few steps behind her to provide cover.

                "No Athena," Rei realized. "I'm guessing she found the other part of your plan?" Hina nodded, and she sighed. This was just perfect. "Ami! I need more cover!"

                Ami leapt into the air and flipped, nodding. "Mercury Aqua Mist!"

                Cold mist sprayed all over, and Rei doused her flames, trying to keep the Leeches from finding her and Hina easily.

                But the Leeches knew from the start they were headed into a trap. Together, they shifted form and created a mass of wings—avian, insectoid, even those of flying fish—and all at once, flapped them. Huge winds picked up, and Hina hugged a post in front of the offering hall as she felt her body being lifted up and threatening to fly away. Rei wasn't able to hold on and started flying, but Hina reached out and grabbed her arm, holding desperately as the storm-force gusts tried to tear them apart. Ankh watched from a nearby roof, the readings of his Medals' energy suppressed by Ami's program, ready to save them.

                "No!" Rei warned. "Stay back!"

                The Leeches turned, trying to see who she'd warned, but Ami whipped water at them as a distraction before holding up a bouquet of flowers—the very ones Hina had bought Eiji. It was time for plan B.

                Frost rapidly enveloped the plants, and with the winds raging around them, petals were ripped from the blooms. Snow formed in the air, and Ami brought it together with the blossoms in a delicate spiral around herself before unleashing it.

                "Shine Snow Illusion!"

                Snow and flowers swirled around the Leeches, breaking off their attack. The many wings lost definition and started to retreat within the Leech mass as it shivered and shook, the fragmented Medal-types struggling to maintain their forms. There was a terrible screeching sound, one that chilled Hina to the core as she slowly let go of the post and Rei and stood.

                "It's not like before," she realized, and she reached out to catch one of the petals—a red lily, bright and cold like a frozen flame. "It's hurting them."

                "It's only to stall," Rei reminded her. "We still need to purify them and save your brother."

                Hina nodded, still mystified, but she followed.

                Maintaining the storm of snow and flowers, Ami activated the earpiece on her visor and called over to Date, "Did you get the candroids replaced?"

                She heard a shot from the Birth Buster. "Working on it. Call you back!"

                The Leech he was fighting was smoking, using mass itself rather than any Medals to try to withstand the temple's holy presence. The Medals were needed for the main mass itself, as it attacked the shrine. This gave Date some advantage. It was big, yes. But it was slow, formless, and dying.

                The problem was that it was dying too slowly for him not to have to fight it off. It was lucky he had transformed when Ami took off; each shot with the Birth Buster risked it getting stronger, and Birth itself gave him more options while civilians fled to safety. Candroids still fell at his feet as Shingo's modified ones battled Date's, and it was getting harder to stop everything.

                He swung at the Leech with Crane Arm, but the Leech's shaky grasp on tangibility caused the cable to go right through. He growled. "Wish Ami was still here for a minute. I can't get a hold on this thing!"

                If he could just get a grip, maybe he could at least throw it into the bell and finish it off for good. As it was, he couldn't land a single physical attack, and midnight was getting dangerously close. No one would be able to ring the bell, let alone record it.

                "Well," he decided, "guess I'm entitled to one Hino moment." This would be stupid and reckless, but he was reasonably sure it would work.

                He whipped the cable over toward the supports for the bell and hoisted himself up. From there, he fired blasts at the Leech.

                "C'mon up here!" he called, holding up his last candroid. "This is what you're looking for, right?"

                The Taka candroids flew up and started trying to divebomb him, but from his vantage point on the belltower, he was able to swing the cable around and knock them out of the air while sitting comfortably.

                "You're gonna have to try harder than that," he said.

                With the Takas smashed, there was no other option but for the Leech to reach itself up all the way, spreading out branches of darkness like a tree with no leaves, trying to block Date off so it could grab him and the candroid easily.

                That was when Date switched to Shovel Arm and smacked the bell as hard as he could.

                The dark branches shook at the first ring, continuing as the reverberation echoed. Date hit it again, and the Leech started swaying and falling. A few more hits in rapid succession, and it broke down into smoke.

                With the Leech dead, Date replaced the candroid and hopped down, transforming back and shaking his head as his ears rang.

                "Should've thought to bring ear plugs," he muttered, pulling out his phone. "Hearing's never going to be the same after this." Once he'd managed to dial in Ami's number, he held the phone close to his ear and warned, "Took care of the Leech problem, but we're down to just one candroid. Think you guys can manage that?"

                "We'll have to," she replied.

                The storm had bought some time for Rei and Hina to run toward the sanctuary, the ground in front of which had been set up for harae. The perimeter couldn't be marked off with bamboo or ropes this time, if they were to lure the Leeches in, but they had set the circle of reeds from oharae as a gate, and Rei readied her lilies.

                "Be ready," she warned Hina, looking toward the sanctuary.

                Petals stuck to the Leeches, burning them at the same rate they was regenerating, and the voices within screeched and screamed. Ice formed all over it as Ami strained to delay them a little longer. But it was only a matter of time before the shaking, smoldering Leeches gathered a burst of energy from their Core Medals and broke free.

                They spread their body out, creating a gigantic catlike form, with six flippers waving around as it floated around on massive bird wings. It turned and pounced on Ami, pinning her arms and legs with four of its flippers and formed blades on the other two, ready to plunge them into her.

                "Coronis Tornado!"

                Before the Leech form could, however, bladed winds swirled around it. Ami closed her eyes against the storm and felt someone pulling her out from underneath the Leech, stabbing at it to let her go. When she was finally out of the way of the winds, she opened her eyes to see Takuya with a sharp sakaki branch, pulling back toward Athena.

                "Harada?" she asked in shock. "I thought you..."

                "Yeah, so did I," he answered. "Long story, but we need to make it over to the others."

                She nodded and pulled out the Medals she'd stolen earlier. "Sailor Coronis, help cover Harada!"

                Athena nodded, and Ami handed the Medals over to Takuya. "Run as fast as you can. We'll be right behind you."

                "Got it," he agreed, breaking off into a run.

                The dash across the grounds wasn't far—he could see the reed circle already. But the huge Leech was creating powerful downdrafts, pressing down on him and forcing him to use more and more energy to get through. Athena's attacks tried to equalize the pressure, but he was still barely making it, and all of Ami's water attacks were breaking down into a cold rain.

                "He's not going to make it," Rei realized, aiming her Mars Arrow.

                "Be careful," Hina begged.

                Rei nodded, and with a cry of "Mars Flame Sniper!" she let the arrow fly. It streaked through the air, immune to the wind and water all around it, and went straight though the Leech's side, missing Shingo. Still, his voice was caught up in the hive mind as they screamed in pain and fury.

                Takuya scrambled to his feet as the attack stopped and fled the rest of the way through. He came to a stop by Hina, warning, "These things are really mad. I hope the rest of the plan works." She nodded in reply, clutching the red petal like a lifeline.

                The Leeches knew a trap when they saw one, and they weren't about to risk themselves that far. Spikes formed across their body and started shooting off in all directions, and Rei had to desperately fling burning ofuda to stop the small Leech forms while Ami created ice barriers and Athena tried to slow them down with whirlwinds. Inside the supposed safety zone, Takuya pulled Hina down, trying to make themselves smaller targets.

                "Ankh can join in any time now," he muttered under his breath.

                She shook her head, whispering, "It's not midnight yet. He won't stand a chance."

                Another spike made it past the tornadoes and ice striking Rei in the hand. She dropped her ofuda and stepped back as the Leeches shot off another round, rapidly breaking through the ice sheets as fast as Ami could put them up and speeding through the cyclones. Hina saw more spikes coming toward Rei, with no way for her to block in time, and she pushed Takuya aside and jumped to her feet, running over.

                "Hina, no!" Takuya shouted.

                She shoved Rei down as the spikes came for her and closed her eyes tight, waiting for the pain of them tearing through her flesh. Instead, she felt a rush of flame at her side and looked up to see Ankh flying over to her, blasting fire to protect her.

                "I thought Eiji was supposed to be the only idiot here," he said as the glamour faded from her.

                The masquerade was revealed, and the Leeches roared in fury. Shingo stepped forward from the Leech mass, darkness still clinging to him, tethering him to the rest of them, and shouted, "You would keep this from us? You, who know the pain of being incomplete?"

                They'd read enough of his memories to recognize Ankh. He snorted and said, "My Medals aren't for anybody else to claim."

                "Then give us the rest," Leech-Shingo demanded. "They can provide enough energy, as long as we can farm from the host."

                "You're not 'farming' anything from Eiji!" Hina cried, feeling braver now that she had Ankh beside her. "You can't have him. You can't have my brother either!"

                The Leeches turned their attention to her now. "Which would you take?" they asked in her brother's voice. "Would you take this one, to preserve your family, or would you take the other in the name of loyalty?"

                "That's not..." she argued. "That's not fair. You never had the right to either of them!"

                "You're not going to reason with them," Ankh warned. "They think like Greeed—no sense of love or family. Only desire and completion."

                Hina looked between them, and the sudden, terrible pain hit her all at once. Ankh, Eiji, and her brother—all within reach. She could take any of their hands, but it wouldn't do any good. Ankh was still bound to the cracked Medal, using all of his energy just to manifest this way. Eiji was still asleep and healing. And Shingo was still partially absorbed into the dark, pulsing heart of the Leeches. If she reached for him now, she too would be pulled in, with no way of pulling him back out.

                Ankh was wrong. She couldn't pull them back. She wasn't nearly strong enough, no matter what he or Eiji or anyone else said.

                Suddenly, there was a fierce cry, and Takuya came barreling past her, running straight into the reed circle. Ankh pulled Hina out of the way as it toppled over, crashing onto the Leeches. Shingo was at the front of the circle, and the Leeches were trying to hold it up, burning and screaming as they touched the grasses and reeds.

                "What are you doing?" Rei screamed.

                "Isolating him," Takuya explained.

                "Idiot!" Ankh shouted, grabbing him by the shirt. "You almost got us killed!"

                "You were perfectly safe!" he argued. "And you weren't getting anywhere either way, so I had to try _something_!"

                Ankh clenched his fist, ready to throttle him. But he felt a sudden jolt, as if something was trying to assert control, and he pulled away from Takuya, trying to get it back under control.

                "Hey," he growled. "You're not supposed to wake up yet."

                "What?" Takuya asked in shock.

                Hina understood immediately and rushed to his side. "Eiji? Are you okay?"

                His voice was small and weak within the armor. "Hina? What's going..." But with a glance at his hands, he understood, and he asked, "Ankh?"

                "Don't try anything," Ankh warned. "You're still too weak."

                But Eiji was starting to move anyway, fighting against Ankh and trembling with pain and fatigue the whole time. From behind the Leeches, who were still trying to prevent her and Athena from shoving them underneath the circle, Ami ordered, "Date, now!"

                "Couple minutes ahead of schedule, but okay," he agreed, pulling the rope to ring the bell.

                The Ptera candroids circled overhead and as the first tone sounded, they released it down on the Leeches. The entire body of them screamed, swallowing Shingo in shadow, and Ami and Athena blasted them underneath the circle as Date rang it a second time.

                "That sound," Eiji whispered.

                "It's a bell from one of the temples," Hina explained.

                "Not that," he argued. "The screaming."

                "The Leeches," Ankh said.

                "It's awful," he whispered.

                Ankh was silent, and Hina took their hand. She understood how he felt; she hated the sound too—with her brother's voice among the screeching shadows, it translated perfectly into pain and fear. The Leeches were afraid—Athena had said that.

                Ankh said they didn't understand, that they were similar to Greeed and couldn't understand the emotions that came to her so naturally, the emotions that kept her at their side, holding onto them and keeping them in the light.

                The petal was still in her hand, and she placed it in theirs as she stood up. They looked up at her, and she knew that Eiji was trying desperately to figure it out while Ankh understood what it meant right away. Then with a smile, she let go of them and ran toward the Leeches.

                "Hina, stop!" Takuya shouted.

                "Hina!" Rei cried.

                She heard, but their words couldn't stop her. She ran and leapt into the circle and into the screaming darkness.

                "Hina!" Eiji screamed as he watched her disappear. He tried to get up, tried to follow her, but Ankh was holding him back.

                "What are you doing?" he demanded. "You'll only get yourself killed!"

                "I can't..." he insisted, trying to move. "I have to save her."

                "You idiot!" Ankh shouted at him. "What good are you going to do her in this condition?"

                Reluctantly, Eiji had to give in. His strength was returning, but he was still in pain. No matter what he tried, he wouldn't be able to save her.

                Ankh looked over toward Rei. "Keep going. I'll get Hina."

                "How?" Takuya asked. "You can't exactly leave that form."

                "So _you_ say," he argued, holding up another Taka Core. "I've got four Medals. That thing has only two. Hina and I planned on me calling to them to help guide her brother out. He's used to the feel of those Medals—it would have helped him piece his mind back together."

                Eiji shook his head. "But you're not..."

                The connection between them was breaking, the more Eiji asserted control. Ankh let it. TaJaDor glowed red for a moment before he separated from the armor, leaving Eiji in his normal TaJaDor form while standing before him, translucent and human.

                "Just because my Medals are separated, it doesn't mean I'm not still connected to them," he warned. "This isn't like last time."

                "But..." Eiji warned.

                Ankh placed his Medal in his hand. "You've got my Core and the other three. Anchor me, and I can get her."

                Slowly, Eiji nodded and tightened his grip on the Medal. Takuya came over and knelt beside him. "I'll keep an eye on him."

                Ankh looked at him skeptically before scoffing. "Do what you want."

                "Bring them both back," Eiji pleaded.

                Ankh didn't respond, but the red Medals within the darkness shone brightly as he vanished. Rei raised the lilies and let them catch flame. As the bells rang down on the Leech, she waved the lilies like her onusa and prayed while Eiji closed his eyes and held tight to the Medals with his own silent prayer.

 

~~~

 

                If the screaming was hard to bear outside the darkness, within it was worse.

                Hundreds, if not thousands of voices were screaming all around Hina as she stepped into the shadows. She dropped in a crouch, covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut, but the sound was in her mind now. It was hard enough to stop herself from screaming.

                Two red stars shone in the darkness, and the next thing she knew, Ankh was next to her, helping her up.

                "Just what are you trying to do?" he asked, seemingly immune to the screams.

                She took a breath and focused on his voice before answering, "I wanted to stop this. Whatever we're doing—it's hurting the Leeches."

                "That's the point," he argued.

                "No," she said. "We want to _stop_ them, not destroy them."

                Something invisible reached for her, but Ankh pulled her away, his hand lit up with flame. It occurred to her that they were the only things visible in the darkness—glowing faintly with the light and fire they'd brought with them. The rest was dark and formless.

                "Big Brother?" she called out.

                The voices came together, shaking. "Why are you here?"

                They sounded like Shingo, probably had a little of him in them. But they weren't all of him, and she yelled, "I'm here to bring my brother back!"

                "You cannot have this one back," they argued. "It is ours."

                "No!" she shouted. "He's mine—they all are."

                Ankh snorted, a hint of a proud smirk on his face as he noted, "Greeed logic."

                "You have enough," they insisted, moving Shingo toward the light so they could see him. "Let us have this one."

                She shook her head and reached out for him as they pulled him away. The bells and prayers were audible inside the unending darkness, and everything around them seemed to shiver.

                "You're running out of time," Ankh pointed out. "Is this really what you want? To take everyone down with you?"

                "You should know!" they shouted. "You know this pain! You know what it's like to be torn away from the whole, to lose the whole piece by piece..."

                "You're scared," Hina said.

                She reached out again—this time for all of them. They tried to back Shingo out of the way, but she took his hand gently, embracing the darkness as well as the light.

                "I've been afraid too," she confessed. "I've been afraid of losing the people I love. But I understand now. I can't lose them."

                "What do you mean?" they demanded.

                Ankh snorted. "Of course you wouldn't understand. Her desire is greater than her fears."

                "My love," she corrected. "Love is stronger than fear."

                They tried to back away again as she opened her mind to them, letting her emotions flow freely. All as one, they could feel her hand holding Shingo's, Ankh taking her hand, Eiji holding them all as bells rang and flowers flamed and snow fell—light and love purifying the darkness and freeing it from fear. Everything was connected—not as a unified mind, but as hearts and hands held across space and time, bound in the same emotions.

                As if drawn toward that light, the pieces of Shingo's mind slowly came together, and he woke to see the shadows melting away, his sister holding his hand, Ankh holding onto her.

                For a moment, he felt as though there were tears on his face. But when he reached to wipe them away, the sensation was gone—like once he had broken contact with Hina, he'd...

                "No," he realized, seeing those very tears on Hina's face.

                Ankh hadn't been in the hive mind, not the way they'd been. He looked at her with fear and confusion as Shingo warned, "She's still in there! If the hive mind collapses..."

                That was enough explanation, and Ankh tore her away, bringing her to the ground and shaking her as the darkness pooled at their feet. "What are you doing?"

                "They're scared," she whispered. "They're all scared. They don't want to let go."

                "You need to let them!" he shouted. "They're not anything you need to keep with you!"

                She shook her head weakly. "They'll die."

                "It's not your problem!" he insisted.

                "Hina!" Eiji called over. "Please."

                Tearing up, she shook her head again. Shingo looked across to Rei and begged, "You have to stop. She'll die at this rate!"

                "I can't," she said, setting down the burning flowers. "Everything's already done. She's the one holding onto it."

                He looked back to his sister. "Hina, let go!"

                With Hina refusing to listen, Eiji looked over to Takuya and pleaded, "Bring me closer." Nodding, Takuya helped him stand and walk into the circle before sitting him down so he could take her hand. "Hina, I don't know if you can save them. There's too many minds."

                "I have to try," she insisted.

                He lowered his head. "Then I'm not going to let you do this alone."

                "Hey, not you too!" Ankh argued, trying to push Eiji away.

                "I'm not going to let her die!" he insisted.

                With his hand in hers, he started trying to open his mind, feeling for what she felt, trying to find her there. But Takuya pulled him while Ankh shoved him, yelling, "How is getting yourself killed going to save her?"

                Eiji was forced to let go, still reaching for her as Shingo took her, helplessly begging, "Hina, don't. Please let go."

                She squeezed her eyes tightly, more tears coming. "I can't. Even if I tried, they won't let go."

                Shingo stared in horror while Ankh glared down at the shadows at their feet, summoning fire to his hand. Rei lowered her Mars Arrow, bound with the burning flowers, and Ami let the frozen petals swirl.

                "We're going to tear her away one way or another," Ankh decided.

                "You can't," Shingo warned. "What if it hurts her?"

                "Then she's dead either way!" he shouted. "It's this or nothing!"

                "Don't!" Hina screamed.

                Eiji finally broke free from Takuya's hold and took her hand. "Hina, it'll be okay." Though Shingo stared at him, bewildered, he only insisted, "I promise. It'll be okay."

                Finally, she nodded, and Eiji glanced toward Ankh. All at once, the attacks struck the shadow mass, which screamed and thrashed beneath them. Hina cried out in pain, but the Leeches still would not let her go, even as the flames burned out and the last bell rang.

                "No," Shingo whispered, tightening his hold on her hand. There was nothing they could do.

                The wind began to circle around them—gently at first, then faster, into a wall of wind at the heart of a storm. Sailor Coronis stepped into the circle and opened the wings that covered her body, revealing a short top that covered her breasts and a grey bow with a black star brooch. She removed the brooch and used it to pierce her finger, praying, "Lady Coronis, protect this child from your pyre. Mars Quirinus, do not burn her wings—she has done what was necessary to end the battle. If the fires must burn, take me in her place."

                "Athena," Rei warned.

                But she looked over to her friend with a smile. "Prayers to your planet must be made in blood. Your flock has bled enough this battle."

                She held her hand over Hina and let a drop of her blood fall. Before it could land, it atomized, spreading over her and drawing out the shadows, first as smoke, then as substance, drawing themselves toward Athena, who stood silently with her wings outstretched.

                Hina opened her eyes and stared in horror as the darkness enveloped Athena, trying to consume her entirely. She tried to stop it, but Eiji and Shingo were holding her hands while Ankh had her by her shoulders, all of them keeping her from leaping back into the shadow.

                Athena looked at her and smiled. "Do not worry. All stars return to darkness, but in the darkness, they are reborn." With a glance toward Rei, she promised, "Phobos and Deimos are waiting." As Rei stared, she said, "We will all see you again one day, in this life or the next."

                The shadows took her over completely, and the wind disappeared. Then all at once, a multitude of black wings formed, taking shape as a flock of crows. They let go of one another and took flight, scattering across the sky.

                Hina was trembling with shock, and Shingo asked, "Are you okay? Hina?"

                "Big Brother," she realized, turning her attention toward him and grabbing him in a hug.

                "I'm so sorry," he apologized, rubbing her back. "To you too, Eiji. I never meant for any of this to..."

                "It's okay," she insisted, letting go so she could wipe her tears. "It's okay."

                Eiji nodded, glancing over toward Ankh, who, as usual, didn't let on easily how he really felt about the situation. With a start, Hina realized that he was fading away, no matter how close Eiji held his Medals.

                "Ankh!" she cried. "You're..."

                He looked at his vanishing hand and smirked. "Disappearing again. It's probably a miracle I held on this long."

                "Ankh," Eiji insisted, "if I can hold onto the combo a little longer, maybe Sis can figure out..."

                "Figure out what?" he asked. "Another connection between us that'll drain the energy out of you?"

                Eiji sighed, and Hina argued, "You don't have to say it like that! We just want..."

                "I know what you want," he said. "Greeed, remember?"

                "I'm still trying," Eiji promised.

                "We all are," Hina insisted.

                "I know," Ankh answered. "But something like this is just as cruel for me as it is for you."

                Eiji nodded as Hina held his hand tighter. "Give me a little more time."

                He snorted. "Time's all I've got."

                Slowly, Eiji brought his hand to the Driver and brought it to its inactive position. All the while, he and Hina watched as Ankh disappeared into ghostly red feathers that seemed to fly away in the breeze.

                Eiji took a breath, as if trying to make himself say goodbye, but Hina gently brought him into a hug. Words weren't needed—they probably never would be among them.

                "So," Takuya said, watching them carefully. "That was Ankh?"

                Hina nodded as Eiji gently removed the Medals and held them together, almost as if he hoped it would be enough to bring Ankh back again. Takuya got up and collected the last two Medals and handed them to him with a smile.

                "I don't know," he said. "I get the feeling he liked me. What do you think?"

                It was just the break in tension they needed. Hina had to bite her lip to keep from laughing and a smile spread across Eiji's face.

                They heard the sound of footsteps and turned to see Date jogging toward them.

                "Hey, didn't hear anything for a while, so I got worried, and..." But everything seemed to be fine—Eiji and Shingo were back to normal, sitting next to Hina while Takuya collected the Medals. Turning to Ami, he asked, "So what did I miss?"

                She smiled and transformed back. "I'll fill you in while we treat everyone."

                "Right, right," he agreed. "Hino, good to see you up." Eiji nodded. "I'll make sure to yell at you later for pulling a stupid stunt like that."

                Rei ended her transformation as well and walked over to Shingo, holding out her hand—a truce and an apology for all of the harsh words between them. He smiled softly and reached up, letting her help him to his feet.

                Without coordinating it with each other, everyone started to make their way toward the house, leaving Eiji and Hina to themselves, underneath the cold starlight.

                "Well..." he finally said, "I guess we should get inside."

                He was already wincing as he started to get up, and she asked, "Do you need help?"

                "No, I'm..." But before he could finish, she put her arm around him and started helping him stand. "Thanks."

                "You're hurt," she pointed out.

                He nodded. "I know. Ankh did a good job helping with my energy, but with everything else..."

                They went silent again, each knowing the other blamed themselves for the events that led to Eiji's injuries.

                "How long was I asleep?" he asked quietly.

                "All day," she said. "It's New Year's now." He sighed, and she wasn't sure if it was from shock or exhaustion.

                "And Ankh? How long did he have control?"

                "Since the afternoon," she explained. "I think he was trying to tell me the whole time to try this."

                "You saw him?" he asked in surprise.

                She nodded. "But that's not all."

                He looked at her expectantly, knowing a "We need to talk" when he heard one. Slowly, she admitted, "I heard what you said before." When he stared blankly, she clarified, "Well, what you _wanted_ to say, before you lost consciousness?"

                There were times when talking to Eiji was like talking to a particularly thick wall. This was one of them. He blinked, clearly trying to remember his train of thought from a day ago, while he was rapidly losing consciousness and his body giving out entirely.

                It meant Hina had to do this the hard way, and she took a breath, held it for a moment, and still stumbled as she said, "When Ankh was in control, he...well, he..."

                He stared at her for a moment, confused and concerned. "What did he do?"

                "Nothing bad," she insisted. "In fact, it was kind of nice." A smile of relief. "But somehow, when he took my hand...I saw _you._ " Now, a look of surprise. "I don't know how, but it's like he let me reach you, even when you were sleeping. You said you knew." It was harder to say now, nearly impossible if she looked at him, so she lowered her gaze. "That I..."

                There were times Eiji was dense and times when he was uncomfortably sharp. This was one of the latter.

                "Oh," he said with a smile. "That. Yeah. I know." When she looked up in surprise, he admitted, "I've known for a couple of months now. Is that what you were talking about?"

                She nodded, laughing slightly as she wiped her tears. When had she started crying again? Or had she never stopped? "I'm sorry. I just...I know it's weird for you. You've never shown any interest in anyone, so..."

                "It's not that," he insisted, taking her hand. "I know I'm not...well, I've never been attracted to anyone. And I guess I figured I wasn't interested in relationships either."

                He couldn't seem to make him say the word "love." Somehow, Hina felt a little better knowing she wasn't the only one. How was it that they could be so honest in front of their enemies, but they couldn't be honest with each other or with themselves?

                "I know," she said. "That's why I never said anything."

                "But at the same time?" he continued, as if she hadn't interrupted. "I know there's _something._ When you're hurt, I feel like I've been hurt too. When you're in danger, I want to run in and help you. And when I need to hold someone's hand, I realize that it's yours I've been reaching for lately." She smiled and ducked her head to hide a blush. "You've always been able to bring me back. But at the same time..." And now his face fell as he stared at the Medals in his other hand. "I still feel the same way about Ankh. I don't know if it's the same way, but it's just as strong, and..."

                "Eiji," she insisted, stopping him. "It's you. I'd never expect you to be able to share your heart with just one person." He looked up at her, a little surprised. "I never told you anything because I didn't want you to have to make that choice. I'm not asking you to make a choice at all. Whatever you feel, whatever you want—that's what you need to do."

                He nodded. "I guess I just need time still. Time to figure everything out."

                She smiled and closed his hand around the Medals. "We've all got plenty of it. Take whatever you need."

                This time, it was her smile that brought one to his face. He looked up at the sky, at what stars were shining past the haze of city lights, and she suggested, "If you don't want to, we don't have to go in just yet. We can stay out here for a little bit."

                "I think I'd like that," he admitted.

                She helped ease him back down again and sat next to him, watching the stars. If that was all they would ever have, then it was all right—there were depths of meaning within these moments as well, and they meant more than words would ever be able to express.

                The future would come, as it always did. They didn't have to figure anything out just yet. For now, they would enjoy the moments they had while they had them, and the bonds between them would never slip away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from "The Power of Love" by Jennifer Cihi from the DiC _Sailor Moon R_ dub. And try as I might, the final confrontation is very similar to Meg's final confrontation with IT in Madeleine L'Engle's _A Wrinkle in Time_ , although I promise it was unintentional.

**Author's Note:**

>  _Kamen Rider OOO_ is the property of Ishimori Productions and Toei Company. _Sailor Moon_ is the property of Takeuchi Naoko, published by Kodansha with anime by Toei. This crossover, particularly with Rei and Ami's characterization, is mostly based off of the manga version, but it does take inspiration from both anime incarnations here and there, mostly in the way of attacks.
> 
> Much of the inspiration for the Leeches comes from fantasy horror monsters, but there's also a fair bit of inspiration from the Shadows of _Babylon 5_. I apologize for the dorky _B5_ references I couldn't help but leave in.
> 
> Title inspired by "Setsugekka (The End of Silence)" ("Snow, Moon, Flowers") by Gackt.
> 
> Major thanks to Shaun Garin/drunkpandaren and Kapaychan/Eternal-Night-Ride for helping me sort all of this out.


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